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]vIAJ- GEW, GEORGE H. THOMAS. U. S. A. 



M E M O I E 



OF 



MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 



BY 



RICHARD W. JOHNSON, 

BRIGADIER-GENERAL U.S.A. 
(retibed). 



PHILADELPHIA: x.;^''c 

J. B. LIPPINCOTT & CO. 

1881. 



.1 



Copyright, 1881, by R. W. Johnson. 



TO MY SONS, 
ALFRED B., RICHARD W., Jr., and HENRY S. JOHNSON, 

T h: I s ^v o Ij TJ im: IB 

IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 

BY THEIR FATHER, 

THE AUTHOR. 



PEEFAOE. 



In presenting this volume to the public the writer desires 
to state that it is not designed as a history of the war of the 
rebellion. The events of that terrible period in our country's 
history are referred to only so far as the character and services 
of Major-General George H. Thomas are brought to light, 
and in describing battles others who took prominent parts 
are not mentioned, for the reason that it has been the design 
of the author, so far as possible, to avoid entering into the 
details which have hitherto been so well and so accurately 
portrayed by others. The subject of this volume is worthy 
of an abler biographer, but as ten years have elapsed since 
his death, and no history of him has yet appeared, I have 
felt myself called upon to prepare a brief sketch of his life 
and services. For thirteen years the writer was associated with 
General Thomas, and had as good opportunities of studying 
and understanding his character as any one not of his own 
family. It will be the aim to give the incidents of his life, 
which lie 'like massive facts upon the face of our national 
history, without embellishment, and certainly without a desire 
to make him prominent by dwarfing the services of those who 
labored side by side with him. The thrilling events of the 

5 



6 PREFACE. 

period covered by the life of General Thomas followed each 
other in such rapid succession that the public could scarcely 
become interested in any one, or in any combination of events, 
before others would appear and command attention, hence but 
little is known of the private lives of our great military leaders. 
Looking back at the achievements of Thomas he is seen in his 
true character, — an incorruptible patriot, a brave, wise, and 
skilful soldier. And as years pass by and the bitter wounds 
engendered by the war have been healed, his honored name 
will be more and more venerated by the people of America, 
as they will see in his life those noble traits of character 
which distinguish him, in an eminent degree, in every period 
of his manhood. Let the young study his character and 
strive to imitate his noble example. No better model can be 
placed before them than that "completely rounded, skilful, 
judicious, modest soldier," that wise, calm, self-poised, stead- 
fast chieftain, the hero of Chickamauga and Nashville, the 
able commander of the Army of the Cumberland. 



OOISTTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Early Life — Appointment to a Cadetship — His Graduation and 
Assignment to a Kegiment — His Services in tlie Everglades of 
Florida — Campaigns against the Seminoles — Capture of a Large 
Body of Indians — Complimentary Notice by Colonel Worth . 11 

CHAPTER IL 

From the Everglades to New Orleans — Baltimore — Recruiting Ser- 
vice — Ordered to join General Taylor at Corpus Christi — Defence 
of Fort Brown — Battle of Monterey — Services with Bragg 's Bat- 
tery — At Mouth of Rio Grande — Again in Florida, and thence 
to West Point — Popularity with Cadets — Marriage — Service in 
California — Fort Yuma — Major Second Cavalry — Indian Cam- 
paigns in Terxas — Opinion of General Patterson . . . .22 

CHAPTER II L 

Commands a Brigade under General Patterson — Promoted — City 
Troop — Falling Waters — Capture of Martinsburgh — Movement 
on Bunker Hill and Winchester — Appointed Brigadier-General 
— Assigned to Duty in Kentucky — Camp Dick Robinson — Scarcity 
of Arms — States' Rights and Peace Men — Suggests Campaign 
to Knoxville — Despatches from General Sherman — Commands 

7 



3 CONTENTS. 

TAGE 

First Division — How composed — At Crab Orchard — Defeat of 
the Eebel Forces under General G. B. Crittenden— Battle of Mill 
Spring, and Keport of same 40 

CHAPTER IV. 

In Camp at Somerset, Kentucky — Movement to Bowling Green — To 
Nashville — Bitterness of Feeling in Nashville — Movement to the 
Belief of General Grant at Pittsburg Landing — Battle of Shiloh 
— Siege of Corinth — March to Huntsville — Pursues Bragg to 
Kentucky — Thomas's Unselfishness 64 

CHAPTER V. 

Thomas offered Buell's Command — Declined — Battle of Perry ville 
— Kosecrans succeeds Buell — March to Nashville — Battle of 
Stone River — Capture of Murfreesboro' — Colonel Buckner's 
Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteers — Capture of Tullahoraa — 
Chickamauga Campaign — Eosecrans relieved by Thomas — Short 
Rations — Driving Enemy from the River — Grant at Chattanooga 
— Thomas's Plans Approved — Opinion of W. F. G. Shanks, Esq. 71 

CHAPTER VI. 

Appearance of Chattanooga — Thomas's Staff — General W. D. 
"Whipple, Chief — Who planned Battle of Mission Ridge — 
Thomas's Report — Mr. Shanks again — Pursuit of Enemy to 
Ringgold — Demonstration against Rocky Face and Buzzard's 
Roost — March to Atlanta — Battles — Captain Wells, A.A.G. 
— General Palmer's Coolness and Gallantry 115 

CHAPTER VII. 

Closing in around Atlanta — Hood offers Battle on 20th, 22d, and 
28th Days of July — Defeated on each Occasion — McPherson killed 
— Howard succeeds him — Atlanta captured — Thomas's Report of 
Operations preceding and during the Battle, etc 154 



CONTENTS. 9 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PAQE 

Sherman goes to the Sea — Other Important Battles to he fought by 
Thomas in Tennessee — Concentrates his Forces at Nashville — Im- 
portuned to attack Enemy before Arrangements were completed 
— Despatches from General Grant, etc. — Final Contest and Great 
Victory — President Lincoln congratulates Thomas and his Army 
— Pursuit of Hood — Consequences had Thomas been defeated — 
Wilson's Cavalry — Thomas's Keport of the Battle of Nashville . 173 

CHAPTER IX. 

Thomas careful of those under him — Never sacrificed them use- 
lessly — Vote of Thanks of Congress and Legislature of the State 
of Tennessee — Medal presented by Latter — Promoted Major- 
General U.S.A. — Building up "Waste Places — Eeconstruction — 
Civil Duties — On Leave of Absence — Headquarters removed to 
Louisville — Declines a Present from Admirers in Ohio — The 
Presidency — Brevet Rank declined — Brevets conferred without 
much Reference to Service — Dyer Court of Inquiry — Transferred 
to California — Inspects his Command — Visits his Old Post — Fort 
Yuma — Thomas as a Public Speaker 228 

CHAPTER X. 

Thomas's Loyalty — Pen-Portrait by William Swinton . . . 244 

CHAPTER XI. 

Nature and Character of Last Illness — Death — General Sherman's 
Order announcing Death — Received by the Country with Uni- 
versal Sadness — Remains taken to Troy, N. T., for Interment — 
Funeral Services — Pall-Bearers — Comments of the Albany Evening 
Journal, furnished by 3Ir. George C. Bishop — Action of the So- 
ciety of the Army of the Cumberland — Equestrian Statue decided 



10 



CONTENTS. 



upon — Unveiling of the same — Letters of Distinguished Gentle- 
men regretting their Inability to be present — High Opinions held 
by them of Deceased — Speeches of General Sherman and Others . 254 



Conclusion 



292 



APPENDIX. 

Address by Colonel Stanley Matthews on the Occasion of the Un- 
veiling of the Statue 293 



LIST OF EISrGEATi:N"GS. 



Major-Gen ERAL George H. Thomas 
General U. S. Grant .... 
General W. T. Sherman 
Lieutenant-General p. H. Sheridan . 
Major-General W. S. Eosecrans . 
Major-General a. McD. McCook . 
Major-General L. H. Kousseau \rs9'^(AX, 
Major-General W. D. Whipple , 
Major-General D. S. Stanlet "4" £L^. 
Major-General W. B. Hazen . ' 



'•^\ 



Frontispiece 

Facing page 24 

46 

76 

104 

140 

176 

206 

246 

280 



MEMOIR 



OF 



MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 



CHAPTER I. 



Early Life — Appointment to a Cadetship — His Graduation and Assign- 
ment to a Kegiment — His Services in the Everglades of Florida — 
Campaigns against the Seminoles — Capture of a Large Body of In- 
dians — Complimentary Notice by Colonel Worth. 

Since the close of the Rebellion many of the prominent 
men of that eventful period have passed away, and their his- 
tories can now be written unbiassed by partiality or prejudice 
which would have influenced, to a greater or less extent, the 
biographer at an earlier period and during the lifetime of 
his subject. 

The name of George H. Thomas has been written upon 

the highest pinnacle of Fame's proud temple, and the pages 

of American history have been made to glow with the record 

of his brilliant achievements. It is but just that his life, 

character, and services should be embodied in one volume, so 

that a knowledge of his many noble qualities of head and 

heart may be convenient of access to the rising generation, 

11 



12 MEMOIR OF MAJ.GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

in order that they may venerate the hero who by his courage, 
his ability, and his devotion to duty did so much in the 
great struggle to suppress the Rebellion, and whose deeds of 
valor have exalted and illustrated the annals of war. 

George Henry Thomas was born in Southampton County, 
Virginia, on the 31st day of July, 1816. His father was 
of Welsh and his mother of French-Huguenot descent. 
They were persons of education and refinement, and, having 
amassed a comfortable fortune, liv^ed in luxury and ease ; yet 
their sons were taught to believe that it would be neces- 
sary for them to rely wholly upon themselves, and from 
early age they gave evidence of future usefulness. George 
was born at the close of the war of 1812-15, and when he 
arrived at that age when children are so deeply interested 
in the stories told them by their loving parents, he was told 
of the dangers, trials, and hardships through which our 
brave soldiers passed in that unequal contest. 

It is not strange that he early decided upon the life of a 
soldier, which he seems to have done at an early age, and 
set his face in the direction of West Point. These stories 
taught him lessons of patriotism, which grew with his growth 
and strengthened with his strength, and produced such rich 
fruit in his after-years. Born in a slave State, where the 
plantations were large, there were not enough white children 
convenient to any given point for school purposes, and hence 
schools were scarce and of a low order, yet he had all the 
educational advantages afforded by the country. 

From childhood he evinced a positive character, an indi- 
viduality which adhered to him throughout his eventful life. 



APPOINTMENT TO A CADETSHIP. 13 

He seems to have passed from childhood to manhood with- 
out passing through tlie intermediate grade of boyhood. 
Steady, thoughtful, studious, he was conscientious in the dis- 
charge of every duty, however disagreeable and unpleasant 
it may have been. His early teachers spoke of him as an 
apt scholar, one of unusual sprightliness and ability, and 
predicted for him a distinguished career. Truthfulness and 
unswerving integrity were early instilled in him by his pa- 
rents, and these he never forgot, but always practised them 
in every walk of life and under all circumstances. Not one 
of his many acquaintances in the army or in civil life can 
truthfully say that he ever wronged them by word or deed. 
The beauty of his character was, in a great measure, due to 
his parents, who laid its foundation upon the broad and en- 
during basis of truth and honor ; but he showed himself to 
be a master builder by erecting thereon a symmetrical and 
graceful superstructure. 

With such parents, and with such training, is it surprising 
that the boy should develop into the man distinguished alike 
for his patriotism, integrity, and high sense of honor? So 
even was his disposition, so amiable yet so firm, so positive 
in his convictions, so manly, and so dignified, that he Avas 
knoM'n among his youthful associates by the name of George 
Washington. 

In the year 1836 he received an appointment as cadet 
at the United States Military Academy, whither he repaired 
in the month of June and reported to the superintendent. 
During his plehe year he was subjected to the same trying 
ordeals through which all of his predecessors had passed, 



14 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

but he endured them all without murmur or complaint. At 
the close of the first year, when he was advanced to the grade 
and dignity of a third classman, his time arrived to haze the 
plebes, but this he never did. Well did he remember the 
insults and outrages which had been heaped upon him, and 
his innate sense of justice enabled him to see the wrong that 
he had been compelled to endure, and he gave the poor 
homesick plebes the benefit of his counsel and advice. In 
this Avay he gained their confidence, and he was regarded as a 
friend and benefactor, and the attachments thus formed bound 
many friends to him in life, and at his death they ceased 
not to claim proud friendship with his hallowed mould. 

Thomas graduated twelfth in a class of forty-two members, 
and among his classmates were Generals W. T. Sherman, 
Stewart Van Vliet, G. W. Getty, Colonel Pinckney Lugen- 
beel, and many others distinguished in the late war on the 
Union side, while B. R. Johnson and R. H. Ewell of his 
class united their fortunes with the Confederacy. The class 
of 1840 was one of unusual ability, and the fact that Thomas 
graduated twelfth shows him to have been not only a good 
student, but one of no ordinary capacity. 

The IVIilitary Academy turns out every year a number of 
graduates, all of whom are proficient in the arts and sci- 
ences taught in that institution. To master the numerous 
subjects in the short space of time allotted to each requires 
not only close application, but a quick and active mind to 
comprehend, and when once understood to retain. Thomas 
was a close student, probably not as quick as some, but he 
continued to apply himself until he had fairly mastered any 



GRADUATION AND ASSIGNMENT. 15 

of the difficult subjects in the higher branches ; then he 
would store them away in the recesses of his great brain, 
there to remain until he was ready to apply them. The 
writer remembers with what ease and certainty he could 
solve difficult problems in mathematics long years after he 
left the Academy, showing as much familiarity with the 
principles involved as if they had just been investigated. 
Thomas never forgot anything, and his mind was a store- 
house filled with useful and valuable information on all sub- 
jects which have engaged the thoughts of men of letters 
and of science. 

In the month of June, 1840, Thomas received his diploma, 
and with it the usual leave of absence to enable him to visit 
his home and await his assignment to a regiment. On the 
1st day of July following he was assigned to the Third 
Regiment of Artillery as second lieutenant, and ordered to 
report to the commanding officer at Fort Columbus, New 
York Harbor, on the expiration of his leave of absence. Fort 
Columbus, then as now, was a rendezvous for recruits, and 
the young graduates were sent there to drill and prepare 
them for the active duty of the field, and when a certain pro- 
ficiency was attained they were assigned to regiments and 
sent to the frontier, the young officers taking charge of those 
attached to their respective regiments. 

Thomas remained at Fort Columbus only a few months, 
when he was sent to Florida with a detachment of recruits 
for his regiment. The Indian war was then in progress, 
and active duty was required of him in the Everglades of 
Florida. 



16 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

That war was unnecessarily prolonged, because the govern- 
ment officers failed to comprehend its magnitude. Defeat 
and massacre followed each other in rapid succession, and yet 
the government did not seem to realize the extent of the 
opposition of the Seminole chiefs and their copper-colored 
followers. The cost of that war was immense compared 
with the insignificant number of the hostiles, but in their 
native wilds they could secrete themselves when a large force 
was in their immediate vicinity, to come forth from their 
hiding-places when a small detachment appeared, and by 
force of numbers overpower and massacre the last one of the 
party. In this kind of warfare the nation lost many val- 
uable officers and men without inflicting any very serious 
damage to the Indians, and this waste of life and treasure 
was continued for years, whereas had a large force been 
placed in the field a sharp and decisive campaign would 
have resulted in the subjection of the Indians at a very 
small outlay compared with the enormous expenditures ot 
the government in carrying out the wretched plan adopted. 
To some extent this same policy seems to prevail to-day. 
Our army is entirely too small to successfully contend with 
the savage foe of the frontier. The massacre of the gallant 
Custer with his three hundred brave followers of that mag- 
nificent regiment, the Seventh Cavalry, the killing of that 
fine soldier Lieutenant-Colonel W. H. Lewis, and the sad 
aifair wherein the brave Thornburgh lost his life, all, all 
show that our military force is too weak to protect the ex- 
tended frontier, and massacres and defeats may be looked for 
until Congress is aroused to the fact that the fighting force 



CAMPAIGNS AGAINST THE SEMINOLES. 17 

of the country should be augmented. This cannot be long 
delayed. General Sherman is of the opinion that the army 
should be much larger than it is ; yet he has, in deference 
to the views of Congress, reluctantly consented to fixing it 
at about twenty-five thousand men. For some years Con- 
gress has been discussing the propriety of a very great reduc- 
tion, but the members are not agreed among themselves as 
to the best plan. Some have favored the reduction to a 
skeleton and the starving of the skeleton, while others have 
favored abolishing it altogether. These are, however, ultra 
views, and will in process of time yield to a more conserva- 
tive policy towards the army. After the next apportionment 
the great West will control the legislation of the country, 
and Western men, who know the wants of their constituents, 
will regulate the size of the army to the necessity of our ex- 
tended frontier. The blood of our murdered soldiers and 
frontier settlers, the little mounds that mark the last resting- 
places of gallant men and murdered women and children to 
be found upon every hill-top and in every valley, from the 
Red River of the North to the Rio Grande on the south, the 
terrible carnage of the brave Custer with its hallowed sad- 
ness, speak most earnestly in favor of an increase of the 
army. The effective strength should be great enough so that 
when detachments are ordered out they can be made suffi- 
ciently strong to overcome all Indian opposition, and in case 
of conflict deal such heavy blows that the savages will not 
care to encounter them. When the Indians are made to un- 
derstand that detachments sent out will be able to whii^ them 
on every field and under all circumstances, troubles on the 



18 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

frontier will cease, and the bold settlers who have pushed out 
beyond the general line of civilization will not be kept in 
constant dread of savage outbreaks. The writer would be 
false to his deep and honest convictions if he failed to place 
himself on record as in favor of transferring the Indian from 
the Interior to the War Department. The Indian problem 
is not a civil but a military question, and military men who 
have been on duty on the frontier for years, and who are 
familiar with the Indian character, are the ones to treat with 
them. A short time since, in conversation with an intelli- 
gent Indian from one of the reservations, he remarked that 
he wished the care of his people was in the hands of the 
War Department ; for, said he, " the officers know what we 
want and will treat us honestly, but, alas ! we have an agent 
who came to us recently, and when he arrived at our camp 
he did not know an Indian from a buffalo calf." 

When Thomas arrived in Florida he reported for duty to 
Captain R. D. A. Wade, Third Artillery, and served with 
his company in all of its marches during that eventful cam- 
paign, and participated in the capture of a number of the 
savage foe. The facts in this case are so minutely set forth in 
the report of Captain Wade — a copy of which has been kindly 
furnished by Adjutant- General Townsend — that it is given in 

full : 

"Fort Lauderdale, E. F., November 13, 1841. 
" Sm, — In pursuance to the instructions contained in your 
communication of the 24th September, I set out on the morn- 
ing of the 5tli inst., accompanied by Lieutenant Thomas, 
Third Artillery, Assistant Surgeon Emerson, and sixty non- 
commissioned officers and privates, embarked in twelve canoes 



CAPTURE OF A LARGE BODY OF INDIANS. 19 

and provisioned for fifteen days. We proceeded by the in- 
land passage to the northward, coming ont in the bay at the 
Hillsborough Inlet, and in such manner that our canoes 
were concealed from the view of an Indian whom I there 
discovered fishing on the northern point of the inlet. I made 
the requisite dispositions immediately to land, and succeeded 
in surprising him. By operating on his hopes and fears, I 
induced him to lead us to his Indian village, fifteen miles 
distant in a westerly direction. This we reached on the 
morning of the 6th ; surprised and ca])tured twenty Indians, 
men, women, and children ; took six rifles, destroyed fourteen 
canoes and much provisions of the usual variety. Of those 
who attempted to escape eight were killed by our troops. We 
returned to our boats the same forenoon with our prisoners, 
and proceeded up a small stream towards the Orange Grove 
haul-over, where we encamped for the night. On the morn- 
ing of the 7th, after proceeding three miles farther north, 
the stream became too shallow for canoe navigation, and we 
made here a camp, leaving the prisoners, the boats, and a suf- 
ficient guard in charge of Dr. Emerson. Under the guidance 
of an old Indian found among our prisoners, who is called 
Chia-chee, I took up the line of march through nearly a mile 
of deep bog and saw-grass, then through the pine barren and 
some hummocks to a cypress swamp a distance of some thirty 
miles northward. Here (on the 8th inst.) we were conducted 
to another village, which we also surrounded, and surprised 
and captured twenty-seven Indians, took six rifles and one 
shot-gun, and destroyed a large quantity of provisions and 
four canoes. The next morning (November 9) we set out 
on our return to the boats, on a more easterly route than the 
former, which led us to the shores of I^ake Worth, where we 
found and destroyed a canoe, a field of pumpkins, and an old 
hut. In the afternoon of this day one man came in and 



20 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

surrendered himself, thus making the whole number of our 
Indian prisoners forty-nine. At 11 A.m. of the 10th we ar- 
rived at our boats and proceeded to the little Hillsborough 
bar by evening, and in the afternoon of the next day (No- 
vember 11) we returned to Fort Lauderdale without any loss 
on our part, after an absence of six days. Having seen much 
in the old man Chia-chee to insj)ire my confidence in his 
integrity, I permitted him to go out from our camp (on the 
10th November) to bring in other Indians, which he prom- 
ised to do in three or four days. This promise he subse- 
quently redeemed, having on the 14th inst. brought in six 
(four men and two boys) at Fort Lauderdale. 

"]My warmest thanks are due to Dr. Emerson and Lieu- 
tenant Thomas for their valuable and efficient aid in carrying 
out my orders ; and of the conduct of the troops likewise, 
without any exception, I can speak only in terms of the 
highest praise. 

"I have the honor to be, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 
[Signed] " K. D. A. Wade, 
" Captain Third Artillery, 
" Commanding Expedition." 

Colonel W. J. Worth, then commanding the army in Florida, 
in forwarding Captain Wade's report to the adjutant-general 
of the army endorsed thereon : 

" I have the satisfaction to forward the accompanying re- 
port of the successful operations of Captain Wade, Third Ar- 
tillery, acting under the orders of his immediate commander, 
Major Childs. This very creditable affair will operate the 
most favorable influence upon the closing scenes of this pro- 
tracted contest, and I but do equal justice to the distinguished 



COMPLIMENTARY NOTICE BY GENERAL WORTH. 21 

merit and conduct of Captain Wade, and the expectations of 
the service, in x'espectfully asking that the special notice of 
the Department of War may be extended to him and his 
gallant assistant, Second Lieutenant G. H. Thomas, of the 
same regiment. 

" Respectfully, etc., 

[Signed] "W.J.Worth, 

" Colonel Coramandino;." 

The War Department, acting on the recommendation of 
Colonel Worth, recognized the valuable services of Thomas 
in this expedition, and conferred upon him the brevet rank 
of first lieutenant, to date from November 6, 1841, "for 
gallantry and good conduct in the war against the Florida 
Indians." 

The service above referred to may seem small and, in fact, 
insignificant when compared with the heavy battles of more 
recent dates, but it should be remembered that the country 
traversed was almost a bottomless bog, through which the 
command struggled with the greatest difficulty. Thomas, 
unaccustomed to such service, was not heard to complain of 
its hardships, but like a true soldier led the way and called 
upon his men to follow. This was the bursting of the germ, 
— the very beginning of a career which was destined to ren- 
der his name immortal and place him in the front rank with 
the great military leaders of the nineteenth century. 



CHAPTER 11. 

From Everglades to New Orleans — Baltimore — Kecruiting Service — 
Ordered to join General Taylor at Corpus Christi — Defence of Fort 
Brown — Distinguished for Coolness and Courage — Battle of ]\;[onterey 
— With Bragg's Famous Battery — At Mouth of Eio Grande — Again 
in the Swamps of Florida — Thence to West Point — Popularity with 
Cadets — Married — Ordered to California — Fort Yuma — Major Second 
Cavalry — At Jefferson Barracks — Court-Martial Duty — Ordered to 
Utah — Order Countermanded — Indian Campaigns in Texas — 
Wounded — Opinion of General Patterson. 

The services required of an officer of the army are so 
multifarious that one can hardly expect to remain at a given 
station any great length of time. This constant moving 
around breaks the monotony and renders army life endura- 
ble. If one has a disagreeable station, he consoles himself 
with the thought that he will not remain there long ; and 
although he may go to a still less desirable post, yet it is 
attended with change of associations and surroundings, and 
adds a little more spice to a life made up pretty much of all- 
spice. 

Following Thomas's career, it is seen that he was not an 

exception, — that an easy, quiet life was not in store for him : 

From the Everglades of Florida, in 1841, to New Orleans 

Barracks, in 1842, thence to Fort Moultrie, South Carolina, 
22 



BALTIMORE— RECRUITING SERVICE. 23 

where be remained for a few months only, for at the close of 
the year we find him stationed at Fort McHenry, near Balti- 
more. Service at stations near New Orleans and Baltimore 
was qnite agreeable to him, then a gay, dashing young officer 
of artillery, who had just "won his spurs" by gallant and 
meritorious services in the field. Being a man of fine ad- 
dress, and handsome withal, with a mind well stored by mis- 
cellaneous reading, polite and agreeable, he was not only a 
valuable acquisition, but very justly a great favorite in society 
circles. 

He had scarcely become settled at Fort McHenry when 
an order was received at the post requiring the colonel com- 
manding the Third Artillery to detail a subaltern for the 
general recruiting service. Thomas's exemplary conduct and 
soldierly bearing secured the detail for him, and he was 
accordingly designated and ordered to report in person to 
superintendent of the recruiting service in New York City. 
Although this frustrated his plans for the future, yet with 
the true instincts of a good soldier he obeyed without a 
murmur. 

The war with Mexico appeared imminent, and Thomas 
was relieved from duty on the recruiting service and ordered 
to report to his company preparatory to embarking for Texas 
to join the Array of Occupation under General Taylor. 
Tliis order was obeyed with alacrity, for active service in 
preference to a life of gayety in a city was more in accord- 
ance with his wishes. 

In the defence of Fort Brown, Texas, from May 3 to May 
9, 1846, Thomas was distinguished for his coolness and 



24 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

bravery, showing himself worthy of the commission of a 
general officer, but in those days it was thought unsafe and 
unwise to trust young men with large commands. Only 
officers who had grown gray in the service were considered 
reliable commanders. In the great Eebellion it did not take 
any great length of time to learn that in the reeling shock of 
conflict, and the seething, surging struggle of battle, fiery, 
dauntless commanders, whose hearts spoke in their blades, 
and whose voices rang through their actual victories, were 
the men whose services the country required. Like flaming 
meteors, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Thomas, Hancock, Scho- 
field, Terry, and a host of others appeared in response to the 
nation's call or the nation's need. George H. Thomas was 
particularly conspicuous in this grand meteoric display. 

At the battle of Monterey, September 21-23, 1846, his 
skill and daring brouglit him prominently to the notice of 
his commander, and again he received evidence of a nation's 
gratitude by the bestowal of brevet rank, that of captain, for 
" gallant conduct in the several conflicts at Monterey, Mex- 
ico." As a lieutenant in Bragg's famous battery, it was 
Thomas who let loose the dogs of W'ar M'hich belched forth 
from their brazen throats iron, shot, and shell in obedience 
to the order of " Old Rough and Ready," — " a little more 
grape. Captain Bragg." The admirable manner in which he 
managed his section of the battery once more secured the 
favorable notice of General Taylor, upon whose recommenda- 
tion he was brevetted major " for gallant and meritorious 
conduct in the battle of Buena Vista, Mexico." 

Hostilities having ceased, the company to which Thomas 



IN THE SWAMPS OF FLORIDA. 25 

was attached was ordered into camp at the mouth of the Rio 
Grande, Texas. 

Routine duty in camp or garrison was distasteful to him at 
all times, but especially so after passing through the excite- 
ment incident to active operations in an enemy's country and 
in front of an opposing army, but he was soon removed from 
that camp and transferred to the swamps of Florida to engage 
once more in the Seminole troubles, which still remained un- 
settled. Here he remained for a year; at the expiration of that 
time he Avas ordered to Fort Independence, in Boston Harbor. 

Thomas had now been in service for ten years, had passed 
through two wars, but was still a subaltern. A man whose 
skill and courage eminently fitted him for the highest com- 
mand was retained as a lieutenant for the reason that the 
government had not yet learned that young men of dash were 
better fitted for active service than those who had grown old 
in the service, and whose efficiency was necessarily impaired 
by bodily infirmities incident to age and long exposure in the 
line of duty. Thomas had faith that his time would come, 
some day, and he patiently waited for it. 

It must be evident to any one having any knowledge of 
the heads of the various staff departments as they existed 
thirty years ago that they had become too old to exj^and so as 
to meet the wants of a large army. It was necessary to dis- 
place them and appoint young and active men to fill their 
places, and this infusion of new and young blood became a 
necessity not only in the staff, but the line of the array. In 
the year 1851 the subject of this volume was ordered to 
West Point to assume the duties of instructor in artillery and 



26 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

cavalry, and there he remained until the year 1854. He was 
very popular with the cadets, — not because he was lax in disci- 
pline, for he was quite the reverse, but for the reason that he 
was eminently just. It gave him great pain to be compelled 
to punish a cadet, and he never did so unless duty impera- 
tively demanded it. Cadets sometimes imagine that the offi- 
cers of the Academy often report them on suspicion and for 
trifling offences, thus giving them demerit marks, which indi- 
rectly lower their standing in scholarship and subject them 
to unnecessary punishment. Thomas's keen sense of justice 
prevented him from taking an undue advantage of any one. 
Genial M. E.. Morgan, now a distinguished officer of the 
army, was, at the time Thomas was stationed at the Academy, 

fa cadet, and so fond of fan and frolic that he often neglected 
some of his studies, and Thomas reported him for such ne- 

I gleet on one occasion. Morgan knew that the report was 
just and proper, suffered the penalty, and forgot the circum- 
stance. Not so Thomas. Years afterwards they met, and 
Thomas, thinking that Morgan still treasured it against him, 
spoke of it, and expressed deep sorrow at being comjielled to 
take notice of such neglect and hoped that he would forgive 
and forget it. 

This little circumstance, trifling, it may be, illustrates the 
character of the man. If he ever did an act of injustice to 
any one, it arose from an error of the head and not of the 
heart. A man of such clear ideas and with the principles of 
justice so thoroughly inwrought into his very nature is not 
likely to treat those under or associated with him unjustly or 
ungentlemanly. Thomas's intercourse with all men was char- 



MARRIAGE. 27 

acterized by the greatest dignity, and when one came into his 
presence he felt the influence of his high character, of his 
spotless parity, and was irresistibly drawn to him by invisible 
cords of love and genuine affection. This was the secret of 
his great popularity. It was this that made his soldiers love 
him, that made them willing to follow wherever he led the 
way. He was not demonstrative in his attachments to men, 
but a more kind and affectionate heart never pulsated in man 
than the one that throbbed in his manly bosom. While on 
duty at West Point he met Miss Frances L. Kellogg, to whom 
he was married, Nov. 17, 1852. 

Miss Kellogg was a lady of rare accomplishments. Her 
mind was well filled with all that is taught in the best schools, 
to which she had. added a fund of information drawn from 
travels and the study of the best authors. As she was pleas- 
ing in her manner, Iiandsome in her appearance, with a fluency 
in conversation rarely equalled, it was not strange that they 
should be mutually fascinated with each other. As he was 
the noblest type of manhood, so she was the purest and best 
type of womanhood. As his wife she made his home the 
earthly paradise he liad sought, and her noble, generous lios- 
pitality rendered it a pleasant place for all who enjoyed her 
acquaintance. After his death she returned to her former 
home, in Troy, New York, where she now resides, and the 
nation mourns with her the loss she sustained in the death 
of her gallant husband while yet in the prime of his life. 

On the 24th day of December, 1853, Thomas was promoted 
to the full rank of captain in his regiment, and in 1854 was 
placed in command of a battalion of the Third Artillery and 



28 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

ordered to march therewith to Benicia, California. On his 
arrival in that department he was assigned to the command 
of Fort Yuma, where he remained until the spring of 1855. 
As a company commander he had no superior. He had one 
of the best-disciplined companies in the service. His men 
seemed to model themselves after their soldierly captain, and 
it is said that no company in the army had fewer trials by 
\ courts-martial. 

Fort Yuma was one of the most disagreeable posts garri- 
soned by the army, — disagreeable from various causes, but 
more particularly on account of the excessive heat of summer. 
The hills around the garrison seemed to concentrate the rays 
of the sun upon the parade-ground, and it was not an un- 
usual circumstance to have the thermometer indicate one 
hundred and sixteen degrees in the shade. The nights 
were so hot and oppressive that sleep was quite out of the 
question until after midnight, and then only on the house- 
I tops. Thomas often referred to his service at that post, and 
I illustrated the extreme temperature of the place by the rela- 
tion of a story the old soldiers were in the habit of telling to 
the recruits. A notoriously bad man belonging to the com- 
mand died and was buried. His character and habits had 
been such as to leave but little doubt in the minds of those 
who believed in a future state of rewards and punishments 
as to his final destination. One night, shortly after his 
funeral, he was seen to enter the squad-room, looking as he 
did in life. His general appearance was such that every one 
who saw the apparition recognized it at once, and his old 
"bunkie" called out to him, "I say, Bill, what do you 



MAJOR SECOND CAVALRY. 29 

want ?" In answer to this he replied, " Boys, I have been 
to h — 1 and came near freezing to death, so I just asked the 
' boss' for a pass for an hour to enable me to come here for 
my blankets. Boys, hell is only about a half-mile from Fort 
Yuma." Several of his old chums gave him their wrappings, 
and Bill departed never to return again. 

Thomas could enjoy a good story and laugh as heartily as 
any one, yet he rarely ever attempted to repeat the witty say- 
ings of others. When not engaged in the weighty affairs of 
official business he would sit for hours with those with whom 
he was familiar and listen to their stories, and enjoy them as 
keenly as any one, provided they were of such a character 
that they might be told in a company of ladies, not other- 
wise. 

On the 12th day of May, 1855, Thomas was appointed 
major of the Second Regiment of Cavalry, a new regiment 
organized under the act of Congress approved March 3 of 
that year. As soon as he received his commission he left 
Fort Yuma for the States without any delay whatever. The 
field-officers of the regiment were : Colonel, Albert Sydney 
Johnston; Lieutenant -Colonel, Robert E. Lee; Majors, 
William J. Hardee, George H. Thomas. 

Louisville, Kentucky, was designated as the headquarters 
of the regiment, and the colonel took his station at that point 
with his regimental staff. The other field-officers were 
ordered to Jefferson Barracks, near St. Louis, Missouri. As 
rapidly as the companies were recruited they were forwarded 
to that point and subjected to drills, while the officers had 
not only to drill, but to be drilled and to recite lessons in the 



30 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

school of the trooper, mounted and dismounted. These duties 
followed each other in such rapid succession that about all the 
time was taken up by them. Half of the company officers 
were from civil life, and all had to undergo, like the recruits, 
the " setting up" process. This in part was entrusted to 
Thomas, and the subsequent soldierly record of the young 
officers of this regiment demonstrated very clearly how thor- 
oughly he performed his duty. This regiment gave to the 
Federal cause Generals Thomas, Oakes, Palmer, Stoneman, 
Colonels Brackett, Eoyall, and others, and to the Confed- 
erate army Generals A. S. Johnston, R. E. Lee, Hardee, 
Van Dorn, E. K. Smith, Fitz-Hugh Lee, Hood, Cosby, and 
others. It is thus seen that the Second Cavalry supplied to 
both sides in the struggle some of the ablest and best officers 
in either army. In the latter part of Qctober, 1855, the 
regiment, having been filled up to the maximum and mounted 
on the best horses ever purchased for the cavalry service, 
was ordered to Texas, and within ten days after the receipt 
of the order the command moved out on its long and tedious 
journey. The writer desires to be indulged here in a slight 
divergence from the main subject in order to remark upon 
the manner of mounting the cavalry arm of service. The 
usual rule is to fix a limit to the price to be paid for horses, 
and beyond this the purchasing officer cannot go. The 
result of this is to secure for the use of the army an inferior 
lot of horses, which rarely ever survive the campaigns of a 
single year. Authority was granted the colonel of the Second 
Cavalry to send a board of officers selected by him to Ken- 
tucky and elsewhere to buy the best horses they could get, 



COURT-MARTIAL DUTY. 31 

without regard to price. These liorses were carefully exam- 
ined and inferior ones rejected. The regiment was mounted 
on splendid animals, and the result proved that the best 
horses, after all, are the cheapest. The writer knows of one 
company (F) in the Second which, after the rough, hard 
service of six years, had forty-four of its original " mount." 
If the regiment had been furnished with cheap horses, half 
of them would have f;dlen by the wayside on the march to 
Texas. Cheap horses are not the best for cavalry ; they can- 
not endure the hard marches which they are often called on 
to undergo. 

One would naturally suppose when all the field-oflEicers 
of a regiment are present with it that the position of 
second major is somewhat of a sinecure, but the second major 
in this case was not willing to occupy a position devoid of 
duty and responsibility. He proved himself to be a very 
efficient assistant to the colonel, and relieved him of many 
of the vexatious details which usually devolve upon a regi- 
mental commander. When about twenty days out from 
Jefferson Barracks he was ordered back on court-martial 
duty, and did not join the regiment again until after its 
arrival in Texas. 

The business of the court having been completed, Thomas 
was placed temporarily on the recruiting service with a view 
to the enlistment of musicians for his regiment. This duty 
having been performed, he joined the regiment at Fort Mason, 
Texas, where he remained until the spring of 1857, when he 
was detailed as a member of a general court-martial for the 
trial of Major Giles Porter. Porter, who was well informed 



32 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

in regard to the technicalities and intricacies of tlie law, kept 
the court in session for a period of six months. On the final 
adjournment of that military tribunal he returned to his sta- 
tion at Fort Mason, where he was permitted to remain until 
the spring of 1858. Trouble with the Mormons in Utah hav- 
ing assumed an alarming aspect, Colonel A. S. Johnston w^as 
relieved from duty in Texas, and ordered to assume command 
of all the troops then in motion in the direction of Salt Lake. 

After Johnston arrived at Fort Bridger, he became aware 
of the magnitude of the contemplated resistance on the part 
of Brigham Young and his followers, and, seeing the necessity 
of a larger cavalry force, applied to the War Department for 
an entire regiment. His application was approved, and Gen- 
eral D. E. Twiggs, commanding the Department of Texas, was 
instructed to cause the concentration of the Second Cavalry 
at Fort Belknap, Texas, preparatory to an overland march to 
that remote region, then much more remote than now, for at 
that time there were no railroads in that portion of the countrv. 
The regiment assembled, and every preparation was made. 
The ladies and children were sent oif hurriedly, baggage re- 
duced to the lowest limit, and the command placed on a war- 
footing and ready for active field-service; but to the disgust of 
Thomas, and, in fact, of every officer and soldier in the com- 
mand, the order was countermanded, and the regiment was 
doomed to further service in Texas. 

During the Mexican war Thomas incurred the displeasure 
of General Twiggs because he refused to give up a fine mule- 
team, which he had with his battery, to be used by Twiggs at 
his headquarters. After much discussion and the use of quan- 



TWIGGS'S PETTY SPITE. 33 

titles of red tape, Thomas thwarted Twiggs's plans and re- 
tained possession of his team. It greatly incensed Twiggs 
to think that he sliould be defeated by a lieutenant, and he 
swore that he would yet get even with the impudent sub- 
altern who dared to oppose him. 

Trifling as this oifence was, Twiggs never forgot it, and he 
never allowed to pass unimproved an opportunity to heap an 
indignity upon or do an underhanded injustice to Thomas. 

After the order was countermanded by which the regiment 
was to be sent to Utah, an opportunity was given Twiggs to 
revenge himself in part. The entire regiment was at Fort 
Belknap, and he made the following disposition of the com- 
panies: Two were sent to Camp Cooper, on the Clear Fork of 
the Brazos; eight companies were sent on an expedition to the 
Wichita Mountains, under command of Captain and Brevet- 
Major Earl Van Dorn ; while Thomas was left at Fort Belknap 
with the non-commissioned staff, band, and the sick of the 
regiment. He protested against such flagrant outrage to his 
rights as commander of the regiment, and in course of time 
the general-in-chief considered the subject, deciding in favor 
of Thomas, and directing Twiggs to order him to join and 
assume command of the eight companies in the field. To 
avoid doing this he recalled the expedition and distributed 
the companies to the different posts in the department. 
Thomas was assigned to the command of Camp Cooper, one 
of the least desirable posts within the limits of Texas, and he 
at once organized an expedition to the Ked River country, 
about the close of the year 1859, which remained out until 
the spring of 1860. Soon after his return he started on what 



34 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

he called the Kiowa expedition, and on the 26th day of Au- 
gust, 1860, near the head of the Clear Fork of the Brazos, 
he encountered a party of Indians, with which he had a sharp 
conflict, being himself wounded in the face by an arrow. 
This fight was a running one, and when it became evident 
that the entire party of Indians would be killed or captured, 
one old Indian, himself badly wounded, made a stand, re- 
solved to sell his life as dearly as possible, delaying Thomas's 
command, and thus enabling his comrades, women, and chil- 
dren to make good their escape. This brave old savage was 
wounded about twenty times before he was finally dispatched, 
and managed to kill and wound quite a number of the sol- 
diers. While this target-practice was in progress, Thomas 
directed the guide to say to the Indian in his owni language 
that if he would surrender his life should be spared. His 
reply was, " Surrender ? Never ! no, never ! Come on. Long- 
knives!" Such courage, such a spirit of self-sacrifice, de- 
served a better fate. 

There seems to be a great difference between a wounded 
white man and a wounded Indian. A severe wound inflicted 
upon the person of the former unnerves him, — his thoughts 
are of death and the future state whose mysterious reahns lie 
through and beyond the portals of the grave, — while the latter, 
under precisely the same circumstances, seems to be nerved 
for extraordinary effort. The Indian believes that his happi- 
ness in the world to come will be great or small in proportion 
to the number of his enemies he succeeds in killing. This 
belief urges him to deeds of desperation, and makes him 
unmindful of danger and a foe of no mean proportions. 



INDIAN CAMPAIGNS IN TEXAS. 35 

One badly- wounded Indian Is more dangerous than four 
not wounded, while one badly-wounded white man is not only 
worthless for fighting, but requires the services of four able- 
bodied men to carry him to the rear, where his wounds can be 
cared for, thus reducing the fighting force by five men, while 
on the other hand the effective strength of the Indians is 
increased by the equivalent of four men for every severely- 
wounded one. Every officer with experience in Indian fight- 
ing will substantiate the foregoing statement. 

While the regiment was at Fort Belknap, Major Thomas 
directed the captains of each company to detail a man with 
some knowledge of music; if they could not play on an 
instrument, but could whistle a tune, such a one would be 
eligible. These men were to be placed under instruction for 
service in the reg-imental band. In obedience to this order 
one of the captains sent to regimental headquarters a soldier 
by the name of Hannah, who had no knowledge of music 
whatever, and it was said of hira that he could not distin- 
guish " Hail, Columbia !" from " taps" on the drum. After 
a tliorough trial the band-master reported to Major Thomas 
that Hannah could not be taught so as to make him of any 
service as a musician, whereupon he remarked, " Well, I will 
order him back to his company. Poor fellow ! he was mis- 
taken : possibly he had a sister by that name who could play 
on some instrument." 

After the return of the Kiowa expedition, Thomas obtained 
a leave of absence and left the State of Texas, Lieutenant- 
Colonel R. E. Lee having returned from leave and assumed 
the command of the reerimeut. 



36 MEMOIR OF MAJ.QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

In February, 1861, General Scott ordered Lee to Wash- 
ington for consultation. General A. S. Johnston was in 
command of the Department of California, and Major Hardee 
was on leave of absence. Thus the regiment was without a 
field-officer. Secession, having its origin in South Carolina, 
spread like wild-fire over the Southern States, One by one 
passed the ordinance of secession, and when once j^assed the 
Southern people appeared to believe that the way was clear to 
establish the Confederacy without a contest. They were 
foolish enough to believe, or to pretend to believe, that the 
Federal government would permit its dismemberment with- 
out an attempt to prevent it. 

Texas, bound to the Federal government by the right of 
purchase, admitted into the Union on terms of equality with 
the other States, and permitted to retain absolute control over 
her public lands, should have been the last State in the Union 
to attempt to sever her connection, but when the treasonable 
tempest swept over the South, Texas was involved, and she 
drifted from her moorings into the deejs sea of revolution and 
rebellion against the government. Sam Houston, then gover- 
nor, did all in his power to restrain the people, but they rushed 
madly onward, passed the ordinance of secession, and called 
upon him to take the oath of allegiance to the Southern Confed- 
eracy. This he declined to do, and he was deposed. A com- 
mittee of safety was appointed to receive the surrender of the 
United States troops, provided General D. E. Twiggs would 
consent to a peaceable abandonment of the government stores, 
arms, and ammunition. It transpired that he was anxious to 
comply with the demand of the committee, and at a time when 



ORDERED NORTH. 37 

most of the senior officers were away he surrendered the 
troops and basely deserted the flag of his country. The 
writer was stationed at Fort Mason, Texas, when Colonel 
Lee received the order to report to General Scott, and on the 
day he left the post, in reply to the quastion, "Will you remain 
North or go South ?" he replied, " I shall never take up arms 
against the general government, but I shall hold myself in 
readiness to shoulder a musket in defence of my native State" 
(Virginia). General Scott was very fond of Lee and had a 
high estimate of his skill and ability, and to him the most 
important position would have been given had he chosen to 
remain loyal to the Union cause. 

Soon after Lee left the regiment the garrison at Fort Ma- 
son was ordered to Indianola, Texas, to embark on board of 
transports which were in waiting to take the regiment ISTorth. 
Where we were to go, or what was to become of us, no one 
knew. Once on board, the vessel steamed out of Matagorda 
Bay, and after a pleasant voyage reached the harbor of New 
York on the 13th day of April, 1861, and at once proceeded 
to Carlisle Barracks ; and on the 14th of April all that was 
left of this once splendid regiment reported to Major Thomas, 
who had given up his leave of absence and reported at that 
point to await the arrival of the command. The regimental 
organization had been almost broken up by the resignation 
of those officers who felt it to be their duty to cast their lots 
with the States that had given them birth. These vacancies 
had to be filled as rapidly as possible. Thomas was promoted 
lieutenant-colonel April 25 and colonel May 3. The War 
Department was not satisfied in regard to the loyalty of the 



38 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

old officers of the army, inasmuch as many had proven 
false to their trusts, and an order was issued that all should 
take the oath of allegiance to the government of the United 
States, notwithstanding they might have done so previously. 
The writer thought this action singular, to say the least of it, 
and spoke to Thomas in regard to it. His reply was : " I do 
not care; I would just as soon take the oath before each 
meal during my life if the department saw proper to order it." 

There was much to be done to place the regiment in a 
condition to take the field. Horses and equipments had to 
be purchased, recruits disciplined, and the old soldiers to be 
clothed. The duties were sufficient to break down any ordi- 
nary man, but Thomas gave them his individual attention 
both day and night. Six of the companies were forwarded 
to Washington as soon as they w^ere remounted, and on May 
27 he reported the remaining four companies ready for ser- 
vice. These, with Thomas in command, were ordered to 
report to General Robert Patterson at Charabersburg, Penn- 
sylvania, which was accomplished on the 1st day of June, 
1861. 

The veteran General Patterson served with great distinc- 
tion as a captain in the war of 1812 and as a major-general 
in the war with Mexico. When Fort Sumter was fired upon 
and the tocsin of war was again sounded, he felt that the 
trumpet called the old war-worn veterans to duty again. 
Accordingly, he was among the very first to offer his services 
to President Lincoln. The writer has received the following 
letter from the gallant old soldier, which shows his high 
appreciation of Thomas : 



OPINION OF GENERAL PATTERSON. 39 

" 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, 26tli Dec, 1879. 
"My dear General, — I learn with pleasure that you 
are engaged in writing a history of our friend General George 
H. Thomas, and I am quite sure that with you it must be 
a labor of love. No more pleasant theme, no more worthy 
subject, could you select, for he was certainly a thoroughbred 
soldier and genial gentleman. As you well know, most men 
in the army have two reputations, — one which exists among 
their brother-officers, the other that by which they are known 
to the public at large ; the one earned by deeds done, the 
other by words written or spoken ; the former always correct, 
the latter very often not so. In General Thomas the two 
coincide. I think that of him it can be truthfully said, 'He 
was without fear and without reproach.' 

" Sincerely your friend, 

" K. Patterson"." 

Such a compliment from such a distinguished source speaks 
volumes in Thomas's praise, and yet General Patterson only 
gives voice to the general sentiment of all who knew Thomas 
personally and officially. No man ever lived who stood 
higher in the affections of the American people. While 
recognized as a great military leader, his purity of character, 
his high sense of honor and deeds of noble daring, have 
erected for him a monument more enduring than brass or 
marble, — a monument that will stand and grow more beauti- 
ful as the ages pass, unless loyalty, truth, and honor cease to 
leaven and sanctify the minds of the American people. 



CHAPTER III. 

Commands a Brigade under General Patterson — Promotion — City Troop 
— Battle of Falling Waters — Capture of Martinsburgh — Movement on 
Bunker Hill and Winchester — Appointed Brigadier-General of Vol- 
unteers — Assigned to Duty in Kentucky — Camp Dick Kobinson — 
Scarcity of Arms— States' Eights and Peace Men — Suggests Campaign 
to Knoxville — Despatches from General Sherman — Commands First 
Division — How Made up — At Crab Orchard — Defeat of the Kebel 
General Crittenden — Battle of Mill Spring. 

The wildest excitement prevailed throughout the country 
at the time General Patterson formed his camp at Cliambers- 
burg. The bombardment of Fort Sumter, the firing upon 
the volunteers in the streets of Baltimore, the menace of the 
nation's capital by a large armed force, all combined, served 
to fire the Northern heart and to unite all opposing factions. 
It was evident that the Union could not be preserved with- 
out a long and bloody war, and after a careful estimate of 
the cost it was resolved that an army of seventy-five thousand 
volunteers should be called out. Congress Avas not in session, 
but the President assumed the responsibility and issued his 
proclamation. In reply to it patriotic men from city and 
from hamlet, from the marts of traffic and the fields of toil, 
from the busy haunts of the East and the almost untrodden 
confines of the mighty West, from river and lake and prairie 
and glen, from every avocation and every department of 
40 



COMMANDS A BRIGADE. 41 

business, rallied for the defence of the Union. This material 
was soon organized into companies, regiments, brigades, and 
divisions. Thomas was assigned to the command of a brigade, 
of which the four companies of his regiment constituted a part. 
The cavalry was well mounted and well drilled ; the others 
had to be drilled and instructed in the ordinary duties of the 
soldier in camp, on guard, and on the march. Men just 
from the walks of civil life and furnished with arms, for the 
first few weeks are as formidable to friends as to the enemy. 
It was not an unusual occurrence while in camp at Cham- 
bersburg to hear, during the still, quiet hours of niglit, the 
gentle click of the trigger, — to hear the sound of the deadly 
musket, followed by the challenge, "Who comes there?" 
Instead of challenging and following that by firing, these 
new men, desirous of being vigilant, reversed the order, and 
the result was that many of our own men were compelled to 
bite the dust in the camp of their friends. It did not take 
long, however, to instruct these men. The officers were 
intelligent and willing to be taught, and more than anxious 
to prepare their commands for the fearful struggle through 
which it was evident they would have to pass. To accom- 
plish all this required an immense amount of labor on the 
part of Thomas, but with the cheerful co-operation of the 
officers he soon had these raw recruits converted into good 
soldiers, whose brilliant exploits subsequently commanded 
the admiration of the loyal people of America. 

There was a body of men attached to Thomas's brigade 
which deserves special mention, — the "Philadelphia City 
Troop." This organization had been maintained for many 



42 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

years, having a twofold object in view, — social intercourse 
and military instruction. No one was admitted to its ranks 
except by a unanimous vote, and in this way the high char- 
acter of its membership was preserved. The Troop offered 
its services for three months, was accepted, and assigned a 
place in Thomas's brigade with the regular cavalry. The 
members of this company endured the hardships incident to 
active service without murmur or complaint, always ready 
to brave every danger and endure every trial like true sol- 
diers and gentlemen. Captain James subsequently became a 
field-officer in one of the splendid regiments of Pennsylvania 
cavalry, while the first sergeant is now the Hon. Samuel J. 
Randall, Speaker of the United States House of Repre- 
sentatives. Nearly all the members of the Troop, after the 
three months' service, became officers of volunteer regiments 
furnished by their State, and in every case proved themselves 
to be brave and competent commanders. 

AVhile at Chambersburg, General Patterson urged upon 
the general-in-chief (Scott) to allow him to cross the Potomac 
and enter Virginia at or near Leesburg for reasons hereafter 
given, and Colonel Thomas was warmly in favor of Patter- 
son's plan of campaign ; but General Scott, for some reason 
probably known by him only, overruled Patterson and 
ordered him to cross at Williarasport. By this movement 
McDowell's and Patterson's armies Avere placed on exterior, 
while Beauregard and Johnston occupied interior, lines, and 
were thus enabled to form a junction with each other, attack 
and defeat McDowell, and with equal ease they might have 
turned against Patterson and driven him from the Shenan- 



THE BULL RUN DEFEAT. 43 

doah Valley, thus defeating every organized force and leaving 
Washington a matter of easy capture. The crossing of 
Patterson at either place would have threatened Jolinston's 
communications, and his evacuation of Harper's Ferry and 
occupation of Winchester would have surely followed in 
either event. Had Patterson, however, been at Leesburg, 
he would have been in supporting distance of McDowell, 
and could have joined him sooner than Johnston could have 
effected a junction with Beauregard. Had Patterson and 
Thomas been listened to and their plan carried out, the 
terrible defeat of Bull Run would not have occurred. The 
troops in that battle were well handled, and they fought 
well. The result was due to yielding to the public clamor, 
" Ou to Richmond," before the necessary arrangements were 
perfected. The Federal army, greatly outnumbered, had to 
fight on the enemy's chosen ground, and any one at all 
versed in military matters could have foretold the final ter- 
mination of such an ill-advised movement. The Federal 
army was overpowered and driven back to the fortifications 
around Washington. It was necessary that a victim should 
be sacrificed, and McDowell was selected and held respon- 
sible for the disaster which had fallen upon our army. 
Public opinion condemned him very unjustly, for he did all 
that could have been done under the circumstances. Defeat 
was organized by the disposition of Patterson's army. 

On the 2d day of July the advance, under the command of 
Colonel J. J. Abercrombie, U.S.A., crossed the Potomac at 
four o'clock A.M., followed by Thomas's brigade. The line of 
march was along the old Martinsburgh road, excepting Neg- 



44 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

ley's brigade, which was thrown out to the right to meet the 
enemy should he attempt to turn the flank of the main column 
by a movement from Hedgeville. After a march of about 
tiv^e miles the advance encountered the enemy's pickets, under 
the command of Colonel T. J. Jackson, who was subsequently 
distinguished and known as Stonewall Jackson, in contra- 
distinction to some other Jackson known as Mudwall Jackson. 

Abercrombie deployed his command at once. Thomas ad- 
vanced rapidly, forming on Abercrombie's right, threatening 
the enemy's left and rear. When the necessary dispositions 
were made, the line moved forward ; the enemy fell back, 
hotly contesting the ground, but the deadly fire from our line 
soon created a confusion which finally resulted in a panic. 
The pursuit was continued for some miles, when darkness 
ended the contest. This affair occurred near Falling Waters, 
and was one of the first conflicts of the war. It seemed at 
that time to be a sanguinary affair, but in the grand battles 
fought subsequently it was forgotten by all save those who 
participated therein. General Patterson, in his official report 
of this engagement, said, " I present the rej)orts of Colonels 
Abercrombie and Thomas, and take much pleasure in bearing 
testimony as an eye-witness to the admirable manner in which 
their commands were handled and their commendations 
earned." 

On the following morning the command moved forward 
with Thomas in advance, who drove all opposing forces before 
him. About noon Martinsburgh was entered, and the army 
pitched its tents in and around that old country village. Here 
the command remained until about the 15th, when a forward 



TRIBUTE TO GENERAL PATTERSON. 45 

movement to Bunker Hill was made. In reaching that point 
several skirmishes with the enemy took place, in all of which 
Thomas participated. He remained under the command of 
General Patterson, taking a prominent part in all of the 
movements of his army, terminating with the occupation of 
Charlestown and Harper's Ferry. At the expiration of ninety 
days Patterson's term of service expired, and he was mustered 
out. General N. P. Banks was designated as his successor. 

The following beautiful tribute to the faithful services of 
General Patterson by one of the greatest military men of the 
age is found in a letter recently published : 

" HEADQrARTEKS OF THE ArMT OF THE TJ. S., 

"Washington, D. C, Dec. 24, 1879. 
" Gen. W. S. Hancock, U.S.A., Governor's Island : 

" My dear General, — I beg to acknowledge the compli- 
ment of an invitation to unite with the Aztec Club in doing 
honor to the venerable Major-General Robert Patterson, at a 
dinner to be given at Delmonico's, at 7 P.M. on January 6. 

" It will be physically impossible for me to come on that day. 
I regret it extremely, for there is no man in America for 
whom I entertain more respect and affection than for General 
Patterson. His whole life — now measured by eighty-eight 
years — has not only been noble and patriotic in an eminent 
degree, but it has been a type of honorable industry and of 
the practice of the finest social qualities. 

"He is in history a strong link between the men who built 
up this government and those who saved it in the cruel civil 
war. In every epoch of this century we find his name asso- 
ciated with the bravest and best in peace and in war, ready at 
all times with his pen, his purse, and his sword to sustain 
tlie right. He does ])ossess and enjoy at this moment more of 
the respect and affection of his comrades and fellow-country- 



46 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

men than any living man ; and I pray that his life may be 
spared to the last minute allotted to man on earth. When 
yon meet him at Delmonico's please explain to him why I 
am not there, as well as the love and affection I bear him as 
a gentleman, as a citizen, and as the oldest representative of 
our honorable i)rofession in all America. 

" Truly your friend, 

" W. T. Shermax." 
• 

On the 3d day of August all of the mounted regiments in 
the regular army were consolidated into a single organization 
and designated cavalry. The First and Second Dragoons 
and Mounted Riflemen became First, Second, and Third 
Cavalry, and the First and Second Cavalry became the Fourth 
and Fifth, in the consolidation. Thomas was then known as 
colonel of the Fifth Cavalry. This consolidation was not 
favored by a large majority of the officers, for each of the 
regiments had legends of its own, of which the officers were 
justly proud, and they desired to retain the designation under 
which their respective histories had been made. Aside from 
this, the consolidation prejudiced the rank of many of the 
captains in the original cavalry regiments. Thomas did all 
in his power to prevent the union, which he saw would work 
injuriously to the officers of his own regiment. On August 
17, Thomas was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers 
and ordered to report to General Anderson, in Louisville, 
Kentucky. He arrived in that city and complied with his 
orders on September 6, 1861. 

When General Anderson was sent to Kentucky, Mr. Lincoln 
told him that he should have any officers he might designate; 





/^/^ y^ ^3»^^^;/fc,^i-T^,-«..-«-«— 



SCARCITY OF ARMS. 47 

but ill order tliat the people of that State might see that no 
attempt was to be made to deprive them of their negroes, he 
recommended that he make his selections from those of the 
South who were loyal. Accordingly, the following Ken- 
tuckians were made brigadiers, and ordered to report for 
duty, — viz., Thomas J. AVood, L. H. Rousseau, J. T. Ward, 
R. W. Johnson, J. T. Boyle, AVm. Nelson, and others. The 
arrival of such men to carry on the war convinced the people 
of that State that the only object the President had in view 
was the restoration of the Union. The freedom of the slaves 
became a necessity afterwards under the war-making power, 
and by proclamation they were declared to be free. 

General Anderson had long known Thomas, and on his 
arrival gave him the most important position in his depart- 
ment, — the command of Camp Dick Robinson. This camp 
had been established some time previously by Lieutenant 
Wm. Nelson, of the U. S. Navy, a native of Kentucky, 
who happened to be on a visit to his old home at the begin- 
ning of our national troubles. 

The difficulty in procuring arms and other supplies had 
very greatly retarded his progress. AYhen it was known that 
Thomas was to supersede him, the secessionists made arrange- 
ments for his capture wliile en route, but from some cause un- 
known their plans failed, and he arrived safely at the theatre 
of his future operations. On his arrival he found neither 
quartermaster nor commissary supplies, and a very limited 
amount of ammunition and small-arms. 

The people generally were opposed to the Federal govern- 
ment, although there were many loyal men ready if necessary 



48 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

to seal their devotion to the old government with their blood. 
These men flocked to Thomas's camp, and Avere enlisted and 
armed. The command to which Thomas was assigned was 
not organized, but he had to create it from the discordant 
elements around him. He relieved Nelson, and at once en- 
tered upon the great work before him. The whole State was 
in a feverish condition of excitement. The State govern- 
ment, which was loyal, did not feel secure; the loyal people 
were in constant dread that their lives might be taken at any 
moment by the roving bands of guerillas and freebooters ; 
the secessionists were outspoken and defiant; and, added to 
all these, was an organized and disciplined enemy in his 
front, whose movements had to be watched with the greatest 
vigilance. 

Thomas had no one upon whom he could rely for assist- 
ance, not even an experienced staff-officer, and was, therefore, 
compelled to give his attention to the most minute details. 

He was not long in raising six regiments, — four Kentucky 
and two Tennessee, — and these were mustered into the ser- 
vice of the United States and became the nucleus around 
which the proud Army of the Cumberland, which w^as des- 
tined to perform such a prominent part in the great W'ar, 
assembled and solemnly promised to bear true allegiance to 
the United States of America, and to defend the same against 
all enemies or opposers. 

About this time a call was issued through the newspapers 
of the State to all State rights and peace men to assemble at 
Lexington on September 20 for the purpose of having a 
camp-drill, to continue for several days. These drills were 



STATE RIGHTS AND PEACE MEN DISPERSED. 49 

to be under the supervision of Breekenridge, Humphrey 
Marshall, and other men of known Southern sympathies. 
Thomas saw through the flimsy gauze the real object of this 
extraordinary gathering. He believed that it was a scheme 
to seize upon the arms and ammunition in Lexington, thou 
to march to Frankfort and take violent possession of the 
State government, send reinforcements to Zollicoifer, and thus 
force the evacuation of that part of the State. To meet this 
measure he sent a regiment under Colonel Bramlette to camp 
at Lexington in the fair-grounds, with instructions to watch 
the assemblage closely, and if any overt act of treason was 
committed to arrest the leaders at once. Bramlette's approach 
was communicated to these misguided men and they dis- 
persed in the wildest confusion, thus demonstrating very 
clearly that Thomas had correctly interpreted the character 
and object of the assemblage. The invasion of Kentucky 
by the Confederate army had the effect of stimulating en- 
listments and the formation of regiments in Ohio, Indiana, 
and Illinois, and, in fact, throughout all of the West, and 
troops began to pour into the State from all quarters. 

These troops were undisciplined, but were better than none. 
They soon learned their duties, and in an incredibly short 
length of time became veterans. Several additional regi- 
ments Avere forwarded to Thomas, and he' began to feel not 
only strong enough to hold his own, but to assume offensive 
operations. 

The first movement that he designed to make was on Cum- 
berland Ford. The large force under Zollicoflfer increasing 
every day, the unprotected loyal men on the southeast bor- 

4 



50 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE. H. THOMAS. 

der of Kentucky, who were exposed to all sorts of indignity 
on account of their political views, rendered a forward move- 
ment necessary so soon as it could be done with reasonable 
safety. But the movement of troops from Virginia to the 
borders of Kentucky, and the disloyal sentiments of the 
people generally, rendered a movement forward somewhat 
uncertain as to final results. The unfortunate battle of Bull 
Run was not to be repeated in Kentucky. Thomas, always 
cautious, decided to await the arrival of additional reinforce- 
ments before attempting a movement which, if unsuccessful, 
would prove most disastrous not only to his own command, 
but to that of General Sherman, operating along the line of 
the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. 

Soon after the beo-innino- of the war Mr. Lincoln remarked 
to the writer that military necessity demanded the construc- 
tion of a railroad from Louisville to Knoxville, passing 
through Cumberland Gap ; that if Knoxville could be taken 
it would break the backbone of the Rebellion. Looking back 
to that eventful period, it is easily seen that the President 
embraced then what it took years to demonstrate, — that Knox- 
ville and not Richmond was the key to the Confederacy. It 
was not long after Knoxville was captured that it became 
evident that the- Confederate army could not be fed without 
using the line of road passing through Knoxville and thence 
to Richmond. Thomas also saw this, and suggested to General 
Anderson a campaign to Knoxville for the purpose of destroy- 
ing the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad, then turning 
upon Zollicoffer while in the mountain -passes and capturing 
or dispersing his command. To accomplish this would have 



CAMPAIGN TO KNOXVILLE. 51 

necessitated the concentration of nearly all the troops in the 
State, and General Anderson thought that such a movement 
might be attended by injurious results elsewhere greater than 
the advantage gained by the capture of Knoxville and the 
destruction of the East Tennessee railway system. The 
movement of General Zollicoffer to Loudon was one calcu- 
lated to place Thomas on the defensive. He pushed forward 
all of the Ohio volunteers and the Third Kentucky Infantry, 
and ordered the obstruction of the Richmond road on the 
north side of Rock Castle Hills from the river to Big Hill, 
and the one connecting the Richmond and INIount Vernon 
roads, and urged General O. M. Mitchell, in command at 
Cincinnati, Ohio, to send reinforcements and artillery with 
all possible despatch. The enemy did not attempt the passage 
of Rock Castle Hills, but soon fell back to Cumberland Ford. 
The undecided course pursued by the enemy made Thomas 
extremely anxious to move forward to occupy his attention 
and prevent him from maturing his plans, and again he 
asked that additional troops be sent him, so that he would 
be in a condition to assume the offensive with a reasonable 
prospect of success. In furtherance of his plan he desired 
to send a brigade up the Big Sandy in co-operation with his 
movement by the way of Barbourville to East Tennessee. _^ 
After a while reinforcements arrived, but without the neces- 
sary munitions of war to render them efficient. In the early 
part of the war governors of States imagined that men made 
armies without reference to their equipments. In fact, some 
regiments were hastened to the front with few or no arms in 
the early operations in Kentucky. Crippled as Thomas was, 



52 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

nothing could be done except to await the enemy's move- 
ment and be prepared to meet him at whatever point he saw 
proper to strike. The following despatch from General W. 
T. Sherman, who had relieved General Anderson from the 
command of the department, will show that the trouble did 
not have its origin at his headquarters : 

" LotrisviLLE, Kentucky, October 25, 1861. 
"General Geoege H. Thomas, Camp Dick Robinson : 

"SiR^ — Don't push too far. Your line is already long 
and weak. I cannot now reinforce you. An interruption 
of the railroads by an incursion from Prestonburgh would 
cut you off from that source of supply. Call to your assist- 
ance the regiment from train. The State Board is impressed 
with the necessity of energy in the organization of volunteers, 
but we are still embarrassed for want of clothing and arms. 
Promises are a poor substitute for them, but are all we have. 
I will again urge on the department the pressing necessity 
of more good officers and large reinforcements of men." 

On the 5th day of November he again telegraphed to 
Thomas, — 

" I have done all in my power to provide men and material 
adequate to the importance of the crisis ; but all things come 
disjointed, — regiments without overcoats or wagons or horses, 
or those essentials to movement. I can hardly sleep to tliink 
what would be your fate in case the Kentucky River bridge 
should be destroyed or the railroad to your rear. I have 
again and again demanded a force adequate to all these vicis- 
situdes." 

****** 

On the 15th day of November, 18G1, the designation of 



ROSTER OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 53 

the Army of the Cumberland was changed to that of the 
Army of the Ohio, and General D. C. Buell was assigned to 
the command. He at once organized the troops in the de- 
partment into brigades and divisions. Thomas, being the 
senior brigadier-general, was assigned to the command of the 
First Division, which, when fully organized, was made up 
as follows : 

FIRST BRIGADE. 

Brigadier-General Albin Schoepf, Commanding. 
Thirty-third Indiana Volunteers, Colonel John Coburn. 
Seventeenth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel J. M. Connell. 
Twelfth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel W. A. Hoskins. 
Thirty-eighth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel E. D. Bradley. 

SECOND BRIGADE. 

Colonel M. D. Manson, Commanding. 
Fourth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel S. S. Fry. 
Fourteenth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel J. B. Steadman. 
Tenth Indiana Volunteers, Colonel M. D. Manson. 
Tenth Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel J. M. Harlan. 

THIRD BRIGADE. 

Colonel R. L. McCook, Commanding. 
Eighteenth United States Infantry, Colonel H. B. Car- 
rington. 

Second INIinnesota Volunteers, Colonel H. P. Van Cleve. 
Thirty-fifth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel F. Vandeveer. 
Ninth Ohio Volunteers, Colonel E,. L. McCook. 



54 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE E. THOMAS. 
TWELFTH BRIGADE, 

Brigadier-General S. P. Carter, Commanding. 
First East Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel R. R. Byrd. 
Second East Tennessee Volunteers, Colonel J. P. S. Carter. 
Seventh Kentucky Volunteers, Colonel T. T. Gaward. 
Thirty-first Ohio Volunteers, Colonel M. B. Walker. 

TROOPS NOT ASSIGNED TO BRIGADES. 

First Kentucky Cavalry, Colonel F. Woolford. 
Squadron Indiana Cavalry, Captain Graham. 
Battery B, First Kentucky Artillery, Captain J. M. Hewitt. 
Battery B, First Ohio Artillery, Captain W. B. Standart. 
Battery C, First Ohio Artillery, Captain D. Kinney. 
Major W. E. Lawrence, Chief of Artillery. 

At the time this organization was completed the troops 
were raw and undisciplined, and hardly prepared to move 
against an enemy. To bring them up to reasonable efficiency 
required much labor and time. One can scarcely imagine the 
cares and troubles which beset Thomas. He had to watch an 
enterprising enemy, to provide provisions, clothes, and arms 
for the command, and to superintend the drills and see that 
every officer and soldier did his duty. The cares which 
devolved upon him at this critical period were numerous 
enough to occupy the time and attention of three or four ex- 
perienced officers, and he would have failed had he been a 
paltry counterfeit, a human nonentity, a mere drone in this 
great world-hive of ours. But he Avas a man of iron mould 
and dauntless purpose, — a man who did not shrivel in the 



AT CRAB ORCHARD. 55 

first heats of disappointment, a man whose spirits rose as ob- 
stacles thickened, acquired fresh courage with each additional 
responsibility, confronted new perils and difficulties, new foes 
and trials, with unquailing front, and gathered to his heart 
more of the light and essence of heaven as the world glow- 
ered and gloomed around him. Those were bleak, dark 
days, — not only for Thomas, but for every loyal man in the 
country. 

It was not long before he converted this raw material into 
disciplined soldiers, and among his commanders were found 
some of the distinguished men of the war, while all the 
regiments under him served with great distinction throughout 
the contest, reflecting credit not alone upon their own organi- 
zation, but upon the States which sent them forth. The 
veterans of the First Division are proud of their record, and 
very justly, while their first commander fills a dear place in 
their hearts. The mention of his name recalls ])leasant mem- 
ories of their early experience on the tented field. 

On the 21st day of October, 1861, Thomas sent forward 
Schoepf with a part of his brigade, which met a considerable 
body of the enemy under General ZoUicoffer, and repulsed it 
with slight loss on either side. On the 28th, Thomas estab- 
lished his headquarters at Crab Orchard, but soon after, in 
comj)liance with orders of General Buell, withdrew to Dan- 
ville, and thence to Lebanon, from which latter point he 
moved via Columbia to attack the enemy, under General 
Crittenden, at Beech Grove. Owing to heavy rains, and con- 
sequently bad roads, he did not succeed in reaching Logan's 
Cross-Roads until the 17th day of November. At that point 



56 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

he delayed until the rear of his columu came up, and en- 
deavored to open communication with General Schoepf. The 
year was drawing to a close, and, ^^'ith the exception of the 
disastrous aiFair at Bull Run, no engagement of any magni- 
tude had taken place. The authorities in Washington were 
becoming quite anxious that some decisive blow should be 
delivered, — a blow with an iron hand, which would be felt 
from the circumference to the centre of the Confederacy 
and contribute in some degree to the restoration of peace. 
The eyes of the nation were upou Thomas and his devoted 
army. 

On the night of January 18, 1862, the enemy, under Gen- 
eral George B. Crittenden, moved out of his camp at Beech 
Grove, and on the following morning attacked Thomas's ad- 
vance at Logan's Cross-Roads. A sharp engagement ensued, 
resulting in the defeat of the enemy, who fell back in great 
confusion to his intrenched camp at Beech Grove. Thomas 
followed up his antagonist, and at 5 o'clock p.m. formed his 
line in front of the enemy's works, opening a heavy artillery 
fire. The curtain of darkness fell, and closed the operations 
for the day. On the following morning it was ascertained 
that Crittenden had fallen back in great confusion, abandon- 
ing his artillery, wagons, munitions, and stores. Pursuit was 
continued as far as Monticello. In this encounter Thofiias 
lost, in killed and wounded, two hundred and forty-six men, 
while the enemy's loss was three hundred and forty-nine. 
Only a small portion of Thomas's command was engaged, 
but the coolness and gallantry displayed by officers and men 
were highly commended by their commander. After this 



BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS. 57 

engagement, small as it was, the loyal people felt encouraged, 
as it was the first victory of the year, and the name of Thomas 
was on the tongue of every loyal man in the country. The 
following is his modest report of this engagement : 

" Headqtjartees First Division, Department of the Ohio, 

"Somerset, Ky., January 31, 18G2. 

" Captain, — I have the honor to report that, in carrying 
out the instructions of the general commanding the depart- 
ment, contained in his communication of the 29th December, 
I reached Logan's Cross-Roads, about ten miles north of the 
intrenched camp of the enemy on the Cumberland River, on 
the 17th instant, with a portion of the Second and Third 
Brigades, Kenney's battery of artillery, and a battalion of 
Woolford's cavalry. The Fourth and Tenth Kentucky, Four- 
teenth Ohio, and Eighteenth United States Infantry being 
still in rear, detained by the almost impassable condition of 
the roads, I determined to halt at this point, await their 
arrival, and to communicate with General Schoepf. 

" The Tenth Indiana, Woolford's cavalry, and Kenney's 
battery took position on the main road leading to the enemy's 
camp. The Ninth Ohio and Tenth Minnesota (part of Colonel 
McCook's brigade) encamped three-fourths of a mile to the 
right of the Robertsport road. Strong pickets were thrown 
out in the direction of the enemy beyond where the Somerset 
and Mill Springs road comes into the main road from my 
camp to Mill Springs, and a picket of cavalry some distance 
in advance of the infantry. General Schoepf visited me on 
the day of my arrival, and after consultation I directed him 
to send to my camp Standart's battery, the Twelfth Ken- 
tucky, and the First and Second Tennessee Regiments, to 
remain until the arrival of the regiments in the rear. 

"Having received information on the evening of the 17th 



58 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

that a large train of wagons Math its escort was encamped on 
the Robertsport and Danville road, about six miles from Col- 
onel Steedman's camp, I sent an order to him to send his 
wagons forward under a strong guard, and to march with his 
regiment (the Fourteenth Ohio) and the Tenth Kentucky, 
Colonel Harlan, with one day's rations in their haversacks, to 
the point where the enemy were said to be encamped and 
either capture or disperse them. 

" Nothing of importance occurred from the time of our 
arrival until the morning of the 19th, except a picket skir- 
mish on the night of the 17th. The Fourth Kentucky, the 
battalion Michigan Engineers, and Wetmore's battery joined 
on the 18th. About half-past six o'clock on the morning of 
the 19th the pickets from Woolford's cavalry encountered the 
enemy advancing on our camp, retired slowly, and reported 
their advance to Colonel M. D. Manson, commanding the 
Second Brigade. He immediately formed his regiment (the 
Tenth Indiana) and took a position on the road to await the 
attack, ordering the Fourth Kentucky, Colonel S. S. Fry, to 
support him, and then informed me in person that the enemy 
were advancing in force and what disposition he had made 
to resist them. I directed him to join his brigade immediately 
and hold the enemy in check until I could order up the other 
troops, which were ordered to form immediately, and were 
marching to the field in ten minutes afterwards. The bat- 
talion of Michigan Engineers, and Company A, Thirty-eighth 
Ohio, were ordered to remain as guard to the camp. Upon 
my arrival on the field soon afterwards, I found the Tenth 
Indiana formed in front of their encampment, apparently 
awaiting orders, and ordered them forward to the support of 
the Fourth Kentucky, which was the only entire regiment then 
engaged. I then rode forward myself to see the enemy's posi- 
tion, so that I could determine what disposition to make of 



BATTLE OF MILL SPEIXGS. 59 

ray troops as they arrived. On reaching the position held by 
the Fourth Kentucky, Tenth Indiana, and Woolford's cav- 
alry, at a point where the roads fork to go to • Somerset, I 
found the enemy advancing through a cornfiekl, and evidently 
endeavoring to gain the left of the Fourth Kentucky Regi- 
ment, which was maintaining its position in a most determined 
manner. I directed one of my aides to ride back and order 
up a section of artillery, and the Tennessee Brigade to advance 
on the enemy's right, and sent orders for Colonel JNIcCook to 
advance with his two regiments (the Ninth Ohio and Second 
Minnesota) to the support of the Fourth Kentucky and 
Eighteenth Indiana. 

"A section of Captain Kinney's battery took a position on 
the edge of the field, to the left of the Fourth Kentucky, and 
opened an effective fire on a regiment of Alabamians which 
were advancing on the Fourth Kentucky. Soon afterwards 
the Second Minnesota, Colonel H. P. Van Cleve, arrived, 
reporting to me for instructions. I directed him to take the 
position of the Fourth Kentucky and Tenth Indiana, which 
regiments were nearly out of ammunition. The Ninth Ohio, 
under the immediate command of Major Kaimmerling, came 
into position on the right of the road at the same time. Im- 
mediately after these regiments had gained their positions the 
enemy opened a most determined and galling fire, which was 
returned by our troops in the same spirit, and for nearly half 
an hour the contest was maintained on both sides in the most 
obstinate manner. 

"At this time the Twelfth Kentucky, Colonel W. A. Hos- 
kins, and the Tennessee Brigade reached the field on the left 
of the Minnesota regiment, and opened fire on the right flank 
of the enemy, who then began to fall back. 

"The Second Minnesota kept up a most galling fire in 
front, and the Ninth Ohio charged the enemy on the left with 



60 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

bayonets fixed, turned their flank, and drove them from the 
field, the whole line giving way and retreating in the utmost 
disorder and confusion. 

"As soon as the regiments could be formed and refill their 
cartridge-boxes, I ordered the whole force to advance. A few 
miles in rear of the battle-field a small force of cavalry was 
drawn up near the road, but a few shots from our artillery 
— a section of Standart's battery — dispersed it, and none of 
the enemy were seen again until we arrived in front of their 
intrenchments. 

"As we approached their intrenchments the division was 
deployed in line of battle, and steadily advanced along the 
summit of the hill at Moulden's. From this point I directed 
their intrenchments to be cannonaded, which was done until 
dark, by Staudart and Wetmore's batteries. Kinney's bat- 
tery was placed in position on the extreme left of Russell's 
house, from which point he was directed to fire on their ferry 
to deter them from attempting to cross. 

" On the following morning Captain Wetmore's battery 
was ordered to Russell's house, and assisted with his Parrott 
guns in firing upon the ferry. Colonel INIanson's brigade 
took position on the left, near Kinney's battery, and every 
preparation was made to assault their intrenchments on the 
following morning. The Fourteenth Ohio, Colonel Steed- 
man, and the Tenth Kentucky, Colonel Harlan, having joined 
from detached service soon after the repulse of the enemy, 
continued with their brigade in pursuit, altliough they could 
not get up in time to join in the fight. These two regiments 
were placed in front, in my advance on the intrenchments 
the next morning, and entered first, General Schoepf having 
also joined me the evening of the 19th with the Seventeenth, 
Thirty-first, and Thirty-eighth Ohio, his entire brigade, and 
entered with the other troops. On reaching the intrench- 



BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS. 61 

ments we found that the enemy had abandoned everything 
and retired during the night. Twelve pieces of artillery, 
with tlieir caissons, packed with ammunition, one battery- 
wagon, and two forges, a large amount of small-arms, mostly 
the old flint-lock muskets, and ammunition for the same, 
one hundred and fifty or sixty wagons, and upwards of one 
thousand horses and mules, a large amount of commissary 
stores, intrenching tools, and camp and garrison equipage, 
fell into our hands. A correct list of all the captured prop- 
erty will be forwarded as soon as it can be made up and the 
property secured. 

" The steam- and ferry-boats having been burned by the 
enemy on their retreat, it was found impossible to cross the 
river and pursue them; besides, their command was com- 
pletely demoralized, and retreated with great haste and in all 
directions, making their capture in any numbers quite doubt- 
ful if pursued. There is no doubt but what the moral eifect 
produced by their complete dispersion will have a more de- 
cided effect in re-establishing Union sentiments than though 
they had been captured. 

" It affords me much pleasure to be able to testify to the 
uniform steadiness and good conduct of both officers and men 
during the battle, and I respectfully refer to the accompany- 
ing reports of the different commanders for the names of those 
officers and men whose good conduct was particularly noticed 
by them. 

" I regret to have to report that Colonel R. L. McCook, 
commanding the Third Brigade, and his aide-de-camp. Lieu- 
tenant A. S. Burt, Eighteenth United States Infantry, were 
both severely wounded in the first advance of the Ninth Ohio 
Regiment, but continued on duty until the return of the 
brigade to camp at Logan's Cross-Roads. Colonel S. S. Fry, 
Fourth Kentucky, was slightly wounded while his regiment 



62 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Avas gallantly resisting the advance of the enemy, during which 
time Zollicoffer fell from a shot from his pistol, which no doubt 
contributed materially to the discomfiture of the enemy. 

" Captain George E. Hunt, assistant adjutant-general, Cap- 
tain Abram C. Gillem, division quartermaster. Lieutenant J. 
C. Breckenridge, aide-de-camp, Lieutenant S. B. Jones, acting 
assistant quartermaster, Mr. J. W. Scully, quartermaster's 
clerk. Privates Samuel Letcher, Twenty-first Regiment Ken- 
tucky Volunteers, Stitch, Fourth Regiment Kentucky 

Volunteers, rendered me valuable assistance in carrying orders 
and conducting the troops to their different positions. 

"Captain G. S. Roper, commissary of subsistence, deserves 
great credit for his perseverance and energy in forwarding 
commissary stores for the command as far as the hill where 
our forces bivouac. 

" In addition to the duties of guarding the camp, Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel A. K. Hunton, commanding the Michigan 
Engineers, and Captain Greenw^ood, Company A, Thirty- 
eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteers, with their commands, per- 
formed very efficient service in collecting and burying the 
dead on both sides and removing the wounded to the hos- 
pitals near the field of battle. 

"A number of flags were taken on the field of battle and 
in the intrenchraents. They will be forwarded to department 
headquarters as soon as collected together. 

" The loss of the enemy is as follows : Brigadier-General F. 
K. Zollicoffer, Lieutenant Bailey Peyton, and 120 officers, 
non-commissioned officers, and privates killed and buried ; 
Lieutenant-Colonel M. B. Carter, Twentieth Tennessee, Lieu- 
tenant J. W. Allen, Fifteenth Mississippi, Lieutenant Allen 
INIorse, Sixteenth Alabama, and 5 officers of the medical 
staff, and 81 non-commissioned officers and privates, taken 
prisoners; Lieutenant J. E. Patterson, Twentieth Tennessee, 



BATTLE OF MILL SPRINGS. 



63 



A. J. Knapp, Fifteenth Mississip[)i, and QQ non-commissioned 
officers and privates wounded: making 122 killed, 89 pris- 
oners, not wounded and wounded, — a total of killed and 
wounded and prisoners 349. 
*' Our loss was as follows : 



KILLED. 







Non-com 'd officers 




Com'd officers. 


anc 


privates. 


Ninth Ohio 


> 




6 


Second Minnesota . 


. .. 




12 


Fourth Kentucky . 


. 




8 


Tenth Indiana 


« .. 




10 


First Kentucky Cavalry 


. 1 




2 




1 




38 


wo 


UNDED. 






Ninth Ohio . 


. 4 




24 


Second Minnesota . 


. 2 




31 


Fourth Kentucky . 


. 4 




48 


Tenth Indiana. 


. 3 




72 


First Kentucky Cavalry 


. 




19 



13 



194 



" One commissioned officer and 38 men were killed, and 
14 officers, mcluding Lieutenant Burt, Eighteenth United 
States Infantry, aide-de-camp, and 194 non-commissioned 
officers and privates, wounded. 

" A complete list of the names of our killed and wounded 
and of the prisoners is herewith attached. 

" I am, sir, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

" George H. Thomas, 
" Brigadier-General U.S. V., Commanding." 



CHAPTER IV. 

In Camp at Somerset — Movement to Bowling Green — To Nashville — 
Bitterness of Feeling in Nashville — Movement to the Belief of Gen- 
eral Grant at Pittsburg Landing — Battle of Shiloh — Siege of Corinth 
— March to Huntsville — Pursues Bragg to Kentucky — Thomas's Un- 
selfishness. 

After the battle of Mill Springs, Thomas established his 
forces ill camp at Somerset, where he awaited instructions 
from General Buell, who had already given orders to concen- 
trate his command for a direct movement on Bowling Green, 
at which point a large array, under General Albert Sydney 
Johnston, had been posted for some time, engaged in con- 
structing fortifications. In a short time Thomas was ordered 
to move his command to Lebanon. About this time Bowling 
Green was evacuated, the Confederate army falling back to 
Nashville. Thomas moved his command to Louisville, and 
thence by boat to Nashville, via the Ohio and Cumberland 
Rivers. 

At this time General Grant had his lines well drawn around 
the Confederate army at Fort Donelson, on the Cumberland, 
and it was evident that a crisis in the history of that com- 
mand must soon arise. General Pillow, who commanded the 
Southern troops at that point, having no taste for prison life 
within the walls of a " Northern bastile," turned the com- 
64 



TO NASHVILLE. 65 

mand over to General Floyd, and he, for a similar reason, 
relinquished in favor of General S. B. Buckner, who was too 
honorable and too much of a soldier to run away and aban- 
don his command to its fate, but, like a true soldier, remained 
to share the fortunes of his men. 

Pillow and Floyd escaped by boat to Nashville, where they 
arrived on the Sabbath day while the good people were in 
attendance upon divine service in the various churches. The 
news of their arrival spread rapidly over the city, creating 
great excitement. Men, women, and children rushed franti- 
cally through the streets yelling as lustily as they could, "The 
Yankees are coming, the Yankees are coming !" Congrega- 
tions were dismissed without the usual benediction, and every 
one who could get out of the city left by the first opportunity. 
Floyd remained long enough to cut the wires of the suspen- 
sion-bridge, and precipitated that grand structure in a shape- 
less mass to the bottom of the river. The rear of the column 
of fugitives was scarcely out of the city when Buell, with his 
magnificent army, arrived in Edgefield, opposite Nashville. 
Boats were procured, and the work of crossing began at once, 
and continued until all were over and Nashville was in the 
hands of the Union army. Thomas arrived soon after and 
took his place in the line surrounding the city. 

The Federal army found the bitterest feeling prevailing 
against the Union and its brave defenders. The latter were 
characterized as Lincoln hirelings, and " likened unto the off- 
spring and descendants of those old Norsemen who, in the 
long-ago of English history, had been the terror and shame 
of the world." The populace had been told from pulpit and 

5 



66 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

press that when the Sunny South was desecrated by the foot of 
the " Northern vandal," barbarities and atrocities worse than 
tliose ever perpetrated in the deepest, darkest nights of Eng- 
lish heathenism would be heaped upon them by the mercenary 
soldiers of Abe Lincoln. Under the mild and gentlemanly 
treatment of General Buell and his able assistant, General 
Thomas, the citizens became convinced that the Northern 
people were not the cruel and inhuman monsters they had 
been represented. 

The army . remained in Nashville until about the middle 
of March, when a courier arrived from General Grant's 
camp on the Tennessee River, near Pittsburg Landing, re- 
porting the concentration of a large force in his immediate 
front. Buell gave orders to prepare for a rapid march. 
All unnecessary baggage was stored, provisions were issued, 
and when all preparations had been made the order was 
issued and the movement began. General O. M. Mitchell 
was to operate from Nashville against the Memphis and 
Charleston Railroad, while Buell, with the divisions of 
Thomas, Wood, Nelson, McCook, and Crittenden, moved on 
the direct road to Savannah, near Pittsburg Landing, where 
the command arrived on the morning of April 5, 1862. 
Long: before the arrival at Savannah the distant roar of 
artillery was heard, telling of a fearful struggle between the 
contending armies. The arrival was timely, and Buell and 
his army won undying honors on the memorable field of 
Shiloh. 

Thomas did not arrive in time to participate in this battle, 
but his name was a potent power. His skill and courage 



SIEGE AND CAPTURE OF CORINTH. 67 

had always been conspicuous, and he was universally regarded 
as worthy and qualified to fill any position to which the 
government might assign him. General Halleck recog- 
nized this fact, and in reorganizing his command after this 
battle placed Thomas in command of the right wing, — a 
position he held until after the siege and capture of Corinth. 

The advance from the Tennessee River to Corinth was one 
of the most difficult campaigns of the war, and one not fully 
understood or comprehended by those who did not participate 
in it. It should be remembered that owing to the heavy 
spring rains it Avas impossible to move artillery or wagons, 
the wheels cutting into the ground to the hubs and rendering 
it out of the question to move without making corduroy 
roads. Miles and miles of such roads had to be constructed. 
With the greatest difficulty the column was moved up to the 
vicinity of Corinth. The lines were formed, and artillery 
placed within range of the town, but no assault was made. 
Here the army remained until after General Beauregard 
withdrew and allowed the Federal army to enter and take 
possession of his filthy camp, filled with carcasses of dead 
animals and overhung by an atmosphere poisoned by decay- 
ing animal matter. The fruits of this campaign can be easily 
summed up, — a few deserters and a few Quaker guns which 
Beauregard had placed in position with their frowning muz- 
zles pointed in the direction of the Federal lines. 

General Thomas was placed in command of Corinth and 
vicinity, — a command that he exercised until June 22, when 
he was transferred with his old division to the Army of the 
Ohio. It should be remarked that when he was placed in 



68 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS 

command of the right wing he was temporarily transferred 
to the Army of the Tennessee. 

Leaving Corinth behind him, he took charge of tlie troops 
along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. He was soon 
relieved from this duty and ordered to concentrate his divis- 
ion at Huntsville, Alabama, where he remained only a few 
days, and then pushed on with his command to Decherd, 
sending one brig-ade to Pelham. Affairs at McMinnville 
having assumed such a phase as to require the presence of a 
discreet officer, Thomas was sent thither, leaving his old 
division for the time in charge of General Schoepf. 

The extraordinary movements of the enemy convinced 
Thomas that an invasion of Kentucky was contemplated, and 
this belief was communicated to General Buell, but the latter 
was of the opinion that Nashville was Bragg's objective-point. 
Accordingly, he made such disposition of his forces as to ren- 
der it impossible for the enemy to reach that point without a 
desperate battle. Bragg, who was an able and cautious gen- 
eral, did not wish to risk a general engagement, and after 
having demonstrated against Nashville he changed his pro- 
gramme by deflecting to the right, crossing the river above 
that city, and pushing on in the direction of Louisville. 
Buell, who was always on the alert, at once proceeded to 
checkmate his adversary. Thomas, who had been ordered to 
Nashville, with his own and the divisions of Mitchell, Neg- 
ley, and Paine, moved out to join Buell in Kentucky. On 
the 20th he effected a junction with him at Prewitt's Knob, 
where he found him confronted by the enemy in considerable 
force. The hea\y skirmishing seemed to indicate an intention 



OCCUPATION OF LOUISVILLE. 69 

of offering a general battle, but on the following day Bragg 
withdrew, and Buell pushed on with all possible speed to 
Louisville, where he arrived on the 25th and the rear of his 
column on the 29th. 

Pjevious to the arrival of the Federal army the Southern 
element was in fine spirits, while the Union people were 
greatly depressed ; but when the advance of Buell's dusty 
veterans entered the city, joy and gladness filled the hearts of 
the loyal portion of the population. The streets were filled 
with the loyalists, and from doors, windows, and balconies 
ladies and children waved handkerchiefs and tiny flags, in 
exultation over their happy deliverance from anxiety and fear. 
The army was posted around the city, and Louisville was 
once more a military camp. 

This march of Buell's was one of the grandest strategic 
movements of the war, and stamped hira as a soldier with no 
superior in the service. Students in the military art may 
study this campaign with profit to themselves, feeling assured 
at the same time that it was one of the most brilliant exploits 
of the war. Buell was a soldier without a superior in the 
army, and had he remained in the service until the close of 
the Rebellion would have filled one of the highest places in 
public esteem. He had, at all times, the cheerful co-operation 
of Thomas, who was regarded by Buell as. one of the most 
accomplished officers in the grand army. 

There is something in the service calculated to engender 
selfishness, — probably not more so than in other professions, 
but certainly it is found in the army, and the older tlie officer 
the clearer does this trait show itself; but with Thomas there 



70 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

was no indication of it. He was ever ready to " render unto 
Caesar the things that were Csesar's." If an officer under 
him did anything brilliant or praiseworthy, he was sure to 
get tlie credit due him, and no man was more ready to draw 
the curtain of oblivion over the mishaps, misfortunes, or 
blunders of others. He was never willing to condemn unless 
the proof was positive, and even then he did so reluctantly. 
The more his character is studied and understood, the more 
we love and venerate his memory. Like Washington, " he 
'was good because he was great, and great because he was 
good." 



CHAPTER V. 

Thomas offered Buell's Command — The Offer declined — Battle of Perry- 
ville — Eosecrans succeeds Buell — March to Nashville — Battle of Stone 
Elver — Capture of MurfreesLoro' — Colonel Buckner's Seventy-ninth 
Illinois — Capture of Tullahoma — Chickaraauga Campaign — Army 
saved by Thomas, who succeeds Eosecrans — Short Eations — Driving 
Enemy from the Eiver — Grant at Chattanooga — Thomas's Plans 
Approved — Opinion of W. P. G. Shanks, Esq. 

On the 29 th day of September, General Thomas received 
an order from the general-in-chief assigning him to the com- 
mand of the Army of the Ohio, relieving General Buell, he 
having incurred the displeasure of the War Department by 
allowing the rebel army to again invade Kentucky. Instead 
of censure he was entitled to great praise, for it was his energy 
and matchless skill that prevented the capture of Louisville 
and saved to the cause of the Union many advantages already 
gained by our forces in that State. Thomas saw at once the 
great injustice it would be to Buell as well as to himself. 
His acceptance would disgrace a meritorious, worthy officer, 
and place one in a position for immediate service who had 
not studied the subject sufficiently for intelligent action. 
Under these circumstances, Thomas telegraphed asking for a 
delay in carrying out the order, and its execution was suspended. 
On the 1st day of October the army moved out to meet Bragg, 

71 



72 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

and on that red autumnal day — the 8th day of October — a 
fearful battle was fought at ^^erryville. The success was not 
as complete as was expected. Some censured Buell, while 
he cast the blame upon others. It is not our province to 
decide the dispute, and hence it is left for the consideration 
of those who are interested to settle among themselves the 
true cause of the partial failure in that battle. But we will 
say that in our humble judgment, if any errors were commited 
there, they were the results of honest misapprehension of 
facts, and were the errors of men who have proven tlieir 
mettle and chivalry in the midst of conflicts as terrible as ever 
shook the earth or crimsoned the soil of the battle-field. 

Our loss in this battle was heavy. Prominent among the 
killed were Generals James S. Jackson and W. R. Terrell, 
who fell while gallantly leading their men against the columns 
of the enemy. Had these two officers survived the war, their 
names would now stand high on the roll of the nation's great 
defenders. 

After this battle General Buell was relieved, and General 
W. S. Rosecrans, whose brilliant services in Northern Missis- 
sippi had brought him prominently forward, was his successor. 
When the change in the commander was made, the name of 
the army was also changed to that of "The Army of the 
Cumberland," and the troops operating in the department were 
consolidated and designated as the Fourteenth Corps. Rose- 
crans subdivided the corps into three grand divisions, — the 
right and left wings and centre, — and these were commanded 
by Major-Generals A. McD. McCook, Thomas L. Crittenden, 
and George H. Thomas. After the battle of Perryville 



BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 73 

Bragg withdrew from the State, and Rosecrans concentrated 
his forces at Nashville on November 7. The army remained 
here until December 26, during which time supplies were 
brought forward, troops drilled, and arrangements made for 
an advance. The main body of the enemy was at Murfrees- 
boro', with outposts thrown forward to the right, left, and 
front. Thomas moved his command by the Franklin and 
Wilson pikes, threatening Hardee, who retreated to Mur- 
freesboro'. Thomas then fell in by the cross-roads to Nolens- 
ville and Stewartsboro', and from thence advanced on Mur- 
freesboro' by the way of the Wilkinson cross-roads. On the 
night of December 30 the entire army was concentrated in 
the vicinity of Murfreesboro', or rather along the line of 
Stone River, — McCook on the right, Crittenden on the left, 
and Thomas in reserve in rear of the centre. 

On the morning of the 31st the battle began by an attack 
on the right flank of the Federal army. It should be remarked 
that during the night of the 30th the enemy massed his forces 
opposite to our right, leaving Breckenridge with a long, weak, 
attenuated line in front of our left and centre. When the 
attack was made it was with overpowering numbers, and our 
right was driven back in some confusion, although obstinately 
contesting every inch of the ground. The lines were again 
reformed near the Nashville pike, where the onward rush of 
the enemy was checked. Here it was that the Army of the 
Cumberland, as such, first baptized its name in blood. Who 
that was there during that desperate struggle will ever forget 
it? We were in the midst of a population more hostile and 
unrelenting than that which surrounded Xenophon in his 



74 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

famed march from the disastrous plains of Cunaxa, or the 
Swedish Charles when his hitherto invincible legions were 
shattered by the Muscovite at Pultawa. The Federal army- 
fought a skilful and determined enemy upon the field of his 
own choice, and, after a series of battles unsurpassed in the 
whole history of warfare for their fierceness and tenacity, 
defeated him whilst he was yet flushed with the excitement 
of his supposed success, and wrenched the garlands of victory, 
as it appeared, from the very hands of Fate itself. 

Who shall ever tell the secrets of those cedar fastnesses or 
unveil the slender threads upon w4iich the fortunes of that 
desperate field revolved ? The brave and daring Thomas 
was at all times at the post of danger, and all felt secure in 
the thought tliat such a man was controlling, to some extent, 
the operations of the day. Then there were the brave and 
daring McCook and the gallant Crittenden, — men of nerve 
and judgment, — and these three distinguished leaders com- 
manded the grand divisions of that magnificent army. Tem- 
porary reverses might come, but in the end victory would 
perch upon their banners. Such was the case at Stone River, 
and these three honored names will ever be associated with 
that battle. Rosecrans, when called to this command, took 
hold of a body of men whose real history had already been 
written so bravely at Mill Springs, Shiloh, and Perryville, and 
whose marches and battles had veteranized and disciplined it 
in the best arts of war. 

Bragg fell back and the Federal army took possession of 
INIurfreesboro', where it remained for six months, — long 
enough to dissatisfy the authorities in Washington, who could 



BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 75 

not understand the reason of such delay. While here Rose- 

crans was not idle, but was actively engaged fortifying the 

town, and when he had completed his various forts a small 

force could have held the place against the Confederate 

armies combined. The volunteers, who had by this time 

become veterans, occupied themselves in various ways. It 

was amusing to see some of them handling the spade and 

pick, instruments to which many of them had been strangers 

all their lives, but these same men learned before the close of 

the war that spades were trumps in almost every deal. 

The following is Thomas's report of the battle of Stone 

River : 

" Headquarters Centre Fourteenth Army Corps, 

" Department of the Cumberland, 
" MuRFREESBORo', January 15, 1863. 

" Major, — I have the honor to submit to the major-general 
commanding the Department of the Cumberland the follow- 
ing report of the operations of that part of my command 
which was engaged in the battle of Stone River, in front of 
Murfreesboro'. It is proper to state here that two brigades 
of Fry's division and Reynolds's entire division were detained 
near Gallatin and along the Louisville and Nashville Railroad 
to watch the movements of the rebel leader Morgan, who 
hud been for a long time on the watch for an opportunity to 
destroy the railroad. 

" Rousseau's, Negley's, and Mitchell's divisions and Wal- 
ker's brigade of Fry's division were concentrated at Nashville, 
but, Mitchell's division being required to garrison Nashville, 
my only available force was Rousseau's and Negley's divisions 
and Walker's brigade of Fry's division, — about 13,395 effec- 
tive men. 

" December 26. — Negley's division, followed by Rousseau's 



76 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

division and Walker's brigade, marched by the Franklin pike 
to Brentwood, at that point taking the Wilson jiike. Negley 
and Rousseau were to have encamped for the night at Owens's 
Store. On reaching the latter place, Negley, hearing heavy 
firing in the direction of Nolansville, left his train with a 
guard to follow, and pushed forward with his troops to the 
support of Brigadier-General J. C. Davis's command, the 
advance division of McCook's corps, Davis having become 
hotly engaged with the enemy posted in Nolansville and in 
the pass through the hills south of that village. Rousseau 
encani])ed with his division at Owens's Store, Walker with his 
brigade at Brentwood. During the night a very heavy rain 
fell, making the cross-roads almost impassable, and it was not 
until the night of the 27th that Rousseau reached Nolansville 
with his troops and train. Negley remained at Nolansville 
until 10 A.M. on the 27th, when, having brought his train 
across from Wilson pike, he moved to the east over an ex- 
ceeding rough by-road to the right of Crittenden, at Stewarts- 
boro', on the Murfreesboro' pike. Walker, by my orders, 
retraced his steps from Brentwood, and crossed over to the 
Nolansville pike. 

" December 28. — Negley remained in camp at Stewartsboro', 
bringing his train from the rear. Rousseau reached Stewarts- 
boro' on the night of the 28th ; his train arrived early next day. 

^'December 29. — Negley's division crossed Stewart's Creek 
two miles southwest and above the turnpike bridge, and 
marched in support of the head and right flank of Critten- 
den's corps, which moved by the Murfreesboro' pike to a 
point within two miles of Murfreesboro'. The enemy fell 
back before our advance, contesting the ground obstinately 
with their cavalry rear-guard. Rousseau remained in camp at 
Stewartsboro', detaching Starkweather's brigade Avith a section 
of artillery to the Jefferson pike, crossing Stone River, to ob- 





^^ ^i::^if^^ 



LIEUT. GEIT. PHILIP li. SHERIDAN/J S.A. 



BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 77 

serve the movements of the enemy in that direction. "Walker 
readied Stewartsboro' from the Nolansville pike abont dark. 
" December 30. — A cavalry force of the enemy, something 
over four hundred strong, with two pieces of artillery, at- 
tacked Starkweather about 9 a.m., but were soon driven off. 
The enemy opened a brisk fire on Crittenden's advance, doing 
but little execution, however. About 7 a.m. during the 
morning Negley's division was obliqued to the right, and took 
up a position on the right of Palmer's division of Crittenden's 
corps, and was then advanced through a dense cedar thicket, 
several hundred yards in width, to the Wilkinson cross-roads, 
driving the enemy's skirmishers steadily and with considerable 
loss — our loss comparatively small. About noon Sheridan's 
division of McCook's corps approached by the Wilkin's cross- 
roads, joined Negley's right, McCook's two other divisions 
coming up on Sheridan's right, thus forming a continuous 
line, the left resting on Stone River, the right stretching in 
a westerly direction and resting on high wooded ground a 
short distance to the south of the Wilkinson cross-roads, and, 
as has since been ascertained, nearly parallel with the enemy's 
intrench ments, thrown up on the sloping land bordering the 
northwest bank of Stone River, Rousseau's division, with 
the exception of Starkweather's brigade, being ordered up on 
the Murfreesboro' pike in the rear of the centre. During the 
night of the 30th I sent orders to Walker to take up a strong 
position near the turnpike bridge over Stewart's Creek and 
defend the position against any attempts of the enemy's cavalry 
to destroy it. Rousseau was ordered to move by 6 a.im. on 
the 31st to position in rear of Negley. This position placed 
his division with its left on the Murfreesboro' pike and its 
right extending into the cedar thicket through which Negley 
had marched on the 30th. In front of Negley's position, 
bordering a large open field reaching to the Murfreesboro' 



78 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

pike, a heavy growth of timber extended in a southerly 
direction towards the river. Across the field, running in an 
easterly direction, the enemy had thrown up rifle-pits at inter- 
vals from the timber to the river-bank, to the east side of the 
turnpike. Along this line of intrenchraents, on an eminence 
about eiglit hundred yards from Negley's position, and nearly 
in front of his left, some cannon had been placed, affording 
the enemy great advantage in covering an attack on our 
centre. However, Palmer, Negley, and Sheridan held the 
position their troops had so manfully Avon the morning of 
the 30th against every attempt to drive tliem back, and re- 
mained in line of battle during the night. 

"December 31. — Between 6 and 7 a.m. the enemy, having 
massed a heavy force on McCook's right during the night of 
the 30th, attacked and drove it back, pushing his division in 
pursuit in echelon and supporting distance until he had gained 
sufficient ground to our rear to wheel his masses to the right 
and throw them upon the right flank of the centre, at the 
same moment attacking Negley and Palmer in front with a 
greatly superior force. To counteract this movement I had 
ordered Rousseau to place two brigades with a battery to the 
right and rear of Sheridan's division, facing towards the west, 
so as to support Sheridan should he be able to hold his ground, 
or to cover him should he be compelled to fall back. About 
eleven o'clock General Sheridan reported to me that his am- 
munition was entirely out, and he would be compelled to fall 
back to get more. As it became necessary for General Sheri- 
dan to fall back, the enemy pressed on still farther to our 
rear, and soon took up a position which gave them a concen- 
trated cross-fire of musketry and cannon on Negley's and 
Rousseau's troops at short range. This compelled me to fall 
back out of the cedar woods, and take up a line along a de- 
pression in the open ground within good musket-range of the 



BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. 79 

edge of the woods, whilst the artillery was retired to the high 
ground to the right of the turnpike. From this last position 
we were enabled to drive back the enemy, cover the formation 
of our troops, and secure the centre on the high ground. In 
the execution of this last movement the recrular brio-ade, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Sheperd, Eighteenth United States In- 
fantry, came under a most murderous fire, losing 22 officers 
and 508 men in killed and wounded, but, with the co-opera- 
tion of Scribner's and Beatty's brigades and Guenther's and 
Loomis's batteries, gallantly held its ground against over- 
whelming odds. The centre, having succeeded in driving 
back the enemy from its front and our artillery concentrating 
its fire on the cedar thicket on our right, drove him back far 
under cover, from which, though attempting it, he could not 
make any advance. 

"January 1, 1863. — Repeated attempts were made by the 
enemy to advance on my position during the morning, but 
they were driven back before emerging from the woods. 
Colonel Starkweather's brigade of Rousseau's division, and 
Walker's brigade of Fry's division, having reinforced us 
during tlie night, took post on the right of Rousseau and left 
of Slieridan, and bore their share in repelling the attempts 
of the enemy on the morning of the 1st instant. For the 
details of the most valuable service rendered by these two 
brigades on the 30th and 31st December, 1862, and the 1st, 
2d, and 3d January, 1863, I refer you to their reports. In 
this connection I also refer you to the report of Lieutenant- 
Colonel Parkhurst, commanding Ninth Michigan Infantry 
(on provost duty at my headquarters), for the details of most 
valuable service rendered by his command on the 31st of De- 
cember and 1st and 2d of January. Negley's division was 
ordered early in the day to the support of McCook's right, 
and in which position it remained during the night. 



80 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"January 2. — About 7 a.m. the enemy opened a direct and 
cross fire from his batteries in our front, and from our po- 
sition on the east bank of Stone River to our left and front, 
at the same time making a strong demonstration with infantry, 
resulting, however, in no serious attack. Our artillery — 
Loomis's, Guenther's, Stokes's, and another battery: the com- 
mander's name I cannot now recall — soon drove back their 
infantry. Negley was withdrawn from the extreme right 
and placed in reserve behind Crittenden's right. About 4 
P.M. a division of Crittenden's corps, which had crossed Stone 
River to reconnoitre, was attacked by an overwhelming force 
of the enemy, and, after a gallant resistance, compelled to 
fall back. The movements of the enemy having been ob- 
served and reported by some of my troops in the centre, I 
sent orders to Negley to advance to the support of Crit- 
tenden's troops should they want help. This order was 
obeyed in most gallant style, and resulted in the complete 
annihilation of the Twenty-sixth Tennessee rebel regiment and 
the capture of their flags ; also in the capture of a battery, 
Avhich the enemy had been forced to abandon at the point 
of the bayonet. (See Negley's report.) 

^^ January 3. — Soon after daylight the Forty-second In- 
diana, on picket in a clump of woods about eight hundred 
yards in front of our lines, was attacked by a brigade of the 
enemy, evidently by superior numbers, and driven in Avith 
considerable loss. Lieutenant-Colonel Shankling, command- 
ing regiment, was surrounded and taken prisoner whilst gal- 
lantly endeavoring to draw off his men from under the fire 
of such superior numbers. From this woods the enemy's 
sharpshooters continued to fire occasionally during the day 
on our pickets. About 6 P.M. two regiments from Colonel 
John Beatty's brigade of Rousseau's division, co-operating 
with two regiments of Spear's brigade of Negley's division, 



BATTLE OF STONE RIVER. gl 

covered by the skilful and well-directed fire of Guentlier's 
Fifth United States Artillery and Loomis's First Michigan 
batteries, advanced on the woods, and (h-ove the enemy not 
only from its cover, but from their intrenchments a short dis- 
tance beyond. For the details of this gallant night-attack I 
refer you to the rej3orts of Brigadier-General Spear, command- 
ing Third Brigade of Negley's division, and Colonel John 
Beatty, commanding Second Brigade of Rousseau's division. 

"The enemy having retreated during the night of the 3d, 
our troops were occupied during the morning of the 4th in 
burying the dead left on the field. In the afternoon one 
brigade of Negley's division was advanced to the crossing of 
Stone River, with a brigade of Rousseau's division in sup- 
porting distance in reserve. 

^'January 5. — My entire command, preceded by Stanley's 
cavalry, marched into Murfreesboro' and took up the position 
we now hold. The enemy's rear-guard of cavalry was over- 
taken on the Shelbyville and Manchester roads, about five 
miles from Murfreesboro', and after sharp skirmishing for 
two or three hours was driven from our immediate front. 
The conduct of my command from the time the army left 
Nashville to its entry into Murfreesboro' is deserving of the 
highest praise, both for their patient endurance of the fa- 
tigues and discomforts of a. five days' battle, and for the 
manly spirit exhibited by them in the various phases in this 
memorable contest. I refer you to the detailed reports of the 
division and brigade commanders, forwarded herewith, for 
special mention of those officers and men of their commands 
whose conduct they thought worthy of particular notice. 

"All the members of my staff — Major G. E. Flynt, acting 
adjutant-general; Lieutenant-Colonel A. Von Schrader, Sev- 
enty-fourth Ohio, acting inspector-general ; Captain O. A. 
Mack, Thirteenth United States Infantry, acting chief cora- 

6 



82 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 



missary, and Captain A. J. Mackay, chief quartermaster, were 
actively employed in carrying my orders to various parts of 
my command and in the execution of the a])propriate duties 
of their offices. Captain O. A. Mack was dangerously wounded 
in the right hip and abdomen while carrying orders from me 
to Major-General Rosecrans. The officers of the signal corps 
attached to my headquarters did excellent service in their ap- 
propriate sphere M'hen possible, and as aides-de-camp carrying 
orders. My escort, composed of a select detail from the First 
Ohio Cavalry, commanded by First Lieutenant J. D. Barker, 
of the same regiment, have been on duty with me for nearly 
a year, and deserve commendation for the faithful perform- 
ance of their appropriate duties. Private Guitean was killed 
by a cannon-shot on the morning of January 2. 

" Surgeon G. D. Beebe, medical director, deserves special 
mention for his efficient arrangements for moving the wounded 
from the field and giving them immediate attention. 

"Annexed hereto is a consolidated return of the casualties 
of my command. The details will be seen in the accom])any- 
ing reports of division and brigade commanders. 



Commands. 



Ist division, Maj.-Gen. Rousseau. 303 

2d division, Biig.-Gen. Negley... 237 

l8t brigade, 3d division, Colonel 

M. B. Walker 97 



Total 637 12,358 257:37,19 338 



Lost in Action. 



< 



s 

i: i 



5,483 ..... 18! 8 
4,632 257 13 11 



2,243 6 



903 

704 



!lo.ses.|(ii.ns. 



5 
62 24 



^ o ! .2 
S I-?! ft 



" Very respectfully your obedient servant, 

"George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



COLONEL BUCKNER'S REGIMENT. 83 

The Seventy-ninth Illinois Volunteers was commanded by 
Colonel Buekner, a Methodist preacher, and it was said that 
his regiment was to a great extent composed of clergymen 
of that denomination. His regiment would work all day, 
and at night religious services of some kind were held in 
their camp. It is a matter well known that these Christian 
soldiers were among the very best in the army. Buekner 
was a brave soldier, and at all times ready for any service, 
however hazardous, and his " preacher-boys" were always 
anxious to be in the forefront of the battle, or to engage in 
any duty however difficult or dangerous. General Thomas 
was much attached to this regiment, was fond of hearing the 
songs of praise that went up from their camp every even- 
ing, which, he said, carried him back to his boyhood and 
called to his memory the good Christian people that sur- 
rounded him when a boy. He was not a member of the 
Church himself, but a firm believer in the Christian religion, 
and lived the life of one. His pure life, upright deport- 
ment, and general character were such as to make him a 
model that many professing Christians might well afford to 
imitate. He practised in his daily life and conversation 
nearly all of the Christian graces, and to all appearances was 
a believer in Jesus. 

On June 23, 1863, the necessary orders for an advance 
movement were given by General Rosecrans, and these 
orders were hailed with delight by the troops, who had be- 
come weary of camp life and were anxious to move south 
and meet the defiant enemy, who boldly pressed himself 
against the Federal picket-line. Thomas moved out on the 



84 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Manchester pike, demonstrating towards Fairfield, arriving 
at the town of Manchester on the 27th. Here he detached 
Wilder's brigade to operate on the enemy's communications 
in the vicinity of Decherd. The general character of the 
country was such that a small force could delay the advance 
of the Federal line by the resolute defence of certain gaps 
through which the different commands had to pass. There 
were three of these passes or gaps, — Liberty, Hoover's, and 
Guy's. McCook's command, led by Johnson's division, had 
to pass through Liberty Gap,' which was carried by Willich's 
and Carlin's brigades. This movement was unexpected, and 
the rebel troops were taken somewhat by surprise, but, after 
a stubborn resistance, were driven back with heavy loss and 
in great confusion. Thomas took Hoover's Gap, and then 
the lines were made to converge on TuUahoma, of which the 
Federal army took possession. This camjmign secured Mid- 
dle Tennessee, as Bragg fell back to Chattanooga, where he 
intrenched himself and made his arrangements to stay. Rose- 
crans planned his campaign well, and it was faithfully carried 
out, establishing for him a brilliant reputation for masterly 
skill and ability. Had this been the last campaign of the 
war none would have stood higher in the estimation of the 
people than he who planned it with such consummate ability. 
But his great success thus far seemed to have given him ad- 
ditional confidence in his own array and to have lessened his 
opinion of his adversary. Gradually he began to regard 
Bragg as a man of little enterprise, and finally projected a 
campaign into Georgia without any reference to him and the 
troops he commanded. Here General Kosecrans made a fear- 



CHICKAMAUQA CAMPAIGN. 85 

ful mistake, as Bragg was a man of no mean ability and 
had enterprise equal to tlie emergency, and, aside from this, 
he was ably assisted by such generals as Polk, Longstreet, 
Hood, E. K. Smith, W. J. Hardee, P. R. Cleburn, and 
others, whose skill, courage, and resolute determination made 
them the peers of any officers of corresponding rank in the 
Federal army. 

Thomas had served in Bragg's battery, and with E. K. 
Smith and W. J. Hardee, and knew them well, and did not 
underestimate them. When he moved against their lines or 
columns he did so with great caution, and it is a well-known 
fact that " he never made a mistake or lost a battle," 

After the withdrawal of the Confederate army from ]\Iid- 
dle Tennessee, the next campaign for the Army of the Cum- 
berland was against Chattanooga, which became its objective 
point. 

Chattanooga was a position of great natural strength 
which Bragg had fortified, and within its frowning walls he 
felt secure against any force that could be hurled against it. 
Surrounded by high mountains, easily fortified, with a deep 
stream winding around one side, resolute and determined 
men could have held it against ten times their number. 

The work of repairing the railroad was pushed forward 
with great vigor, and on the 25tli day of July, 1863, a through- 
train from Nashville arrived at Bridgeport. Sheridan's di- 
vision took possession of Stevenson and Bridgeport, and 
supplies were accumulated at those points as rapidly as the 
limited railroad facilities would permit. When it is remem- 
bered that the Federal army was wholly dependent upon one 



86 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

long line of railroad, passing through an enemy's country 
where the people were hostile, and that only certain impor- 
tant points could be guarded, it seems strange that trains could 
be passed over the road fast enough to supply an ^rmy of such 
magnitude. Subordinate officers know very little of the cares 
and responsibilities of him who has to plan campaigns to the 
front and preserve an unbroken line to the rear, upon which 
to receive supplies of food, clothing, ammunition, and the 
necessary materials of war. An army that is poorly fed and 
poorly clothed will not prove very efficient on the march or 
in battle, and hence supplies become a very important factor 
in all army movements. The general who neglects them 
will surely come to grief, sooner or later. 

On August 16 the march over the mountains began. 
Crittenden's corps moved in three columns : Wood's division, 
from Hillsboro' via Pelham to Thurman, in the Sequatchie 
Valley ; Palmer's, from Manchester via Hickory to Dun- 
lap; Van Cleve's, from McMinnville to Pikeville, at the 
head of the Sequatchie Valley. General Thomas's corps 
moved in two columns : Reynolds's and Brannan's divisions 
via University and Battle Creek, and Negley's and Baird's 
divisions via Tantalon and Crow Creek. General McCook's 
corps moved in two columns : R. W. Johnson's division via 
Salem to Bellefonte, and J. C. Davis's division via Mound 
Top to Stevenson. General D. S. Stanley, with most of the 
cavalry, moved via Fayetteville and Athens, covering the 
line of the Tennessee River above \yiiitesburgh. Colonel 
Minty's cavalry moved from McMinnville to Pikeville. 
Colonel "VVilder's brigade moved to Dunlap. 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 87 

Before attempting the passage of the river the brigades of 
Hazen, Minty, Wagner, and Wilder were sent to demonstrate 
against Chattanooga from the north side of the Tennessee, 
guarding the line of the river from Washington down to 
Chattanooga. 

The array commenced crossing the Tennessee River on 
the 29th of August, and on the 4th of September the entire 
command of General Rosecrans was on the south side. 
Thomas's corps crossed as follows : Brannan and Reynolds 
at the mouth of Battle Creek, Baird at Bridgeport, and Neg- 
ley at Caperton's Ferry. Crittenden moved down the Se- 
quatchie Valley and crossed at Shell Mound and at the mouth 
of Battle Creek. The divisions of Johnson and Davis, of 
McCook's corps, crossed at Caperton's Ferry, while Sheridan, 
of the same corps, crossed at Bridgeport. Stanley, with his 
cavalry, crossed partly at Caperton's Ferry and the remainder 
at a ford near Island Creek. Everything being in readiness 
the movement over the mountains began at once. Thomas 
moved over Sand Mountain and descended into Lookout 
Valley, at Trenton ; thence to the summit of Lookout Moun- 
tain, at Johnson's Crook ; thence, passing through Stevens's 
and Frick's Gaps, he descended into Chattanooga Valley. 
McCook moved with his corps across Sand Mountain to 
Valley Head, where he ascended Lookout Mountain. Crit- 
tenden with his corps moved via Wauhatchie and crossed 
over the nose of Lookout Mountain. Simultaneously with 
these dis-positions Bragg evacuated his strong position at Chat- 
tanooga and fell back to Lafayette. McCook's corps de- 
scended Lookout Mountain and moved to Alpine. Consid- 



88 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

ering the position of the enemy and the difficulty in getting 
the artillery and transportation down the southern slope of 
the mountain, and the utter impossibility of retreating if 
attacked by an outnumbering foe, this was one of the most 
hazardous undertakings of the war. From Alpine Colonel 
Harrison, Avith his splendid regiment of Indiana cavalry, 
was ordered to march to Lafayette and ascertain the strength 
of the enemy at that point. He was not long in learning 
that Polk's corps, and possibly other Confederate corps, were 
tliere in force. About the time Harrison made his report, 
instructions were received from Rosecrans directing McCook 
to reascend the mountain and close to the left on Thomas 
with all possible despatch. An entire day was consumed in 
getting the transportation up the mountain, but, when that 
was accomplished, McCook and his officers felt thankful that 
Bragg had not moved against the corps while at Alpine, for 
had he done so it would have been impossible to have saved 
the artillery and baggage-train. 

Rosecrans, through his perfect system of secret service, 
learning that heavy reinforcements had been received from 
Virginia, and that it was Bragg's intention not to abandon 
Northern Georgia without a struggle, saw the immediate ne- 
cessity of concentrating his widely-dispersed army, to accom- 
plish which he issued orders to the various commanders to 
close in on Crawfish Spring. Thomas crossed the upper end 
of Mission Ridge and moved down the Chickamauga Valley 
to the appointed place. Crittenden, who had marched wnth 
his corps to Ringgold, returned and took his proper posi- 
tion. Johnson's and Davis's divisions of McCook's corps 



CHWKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 39 

moved along the mountain-road from Winston's to Stevens's 
Gap. Sheridan descended the mountain at Winston's, thence 
down Lookout Valley to Johnson's Crook, at which point he 
ascended the mountain. The corps then passed through 
Stevens's Gap and joined the Fourteenth and Twenty-first. 

The position now occupied by the Army of the Cumber- 
land had been reached by long and wearisome marches 
through the mountains and gorges of Tennessee and Georgia, 
with ceaseless skirmishing and strategy. 

During all the glad spring-time and golden summer the 
advance kept pace with the feathery fringe of the skirmish 
smoke, and the thunder of Federal guns rolled southward con- 
tinuously. And when August had languished into the lap 
of autumn and the simmering heats of its sultry lingering 
began to go out with the falling leaves and the fading year, 
Thomas called upon his flag-bearers to follow him into that 
death-grapple at Chickamauga. Ah ! then 

" The soul of battle was abroad 
And blazed upon the air." ' 

Chickamauga! Who can tell of its horrors, or paint in 
words its deeds of " high emprise" ? Who can portray the 
wonderful story of that Sabbath-day's valiant work, when 
Thomas held the outimmbering columns of the foe at bay 
with his encircled wall of steel ? 

Minstrelsy and poesy, the inspiration of the painter, and 
the enchanted numbers of song will give him all his full- 
flushed meed of glory. History is commonplace and oratory 
is dumb in the attempt to render him fair measurement and 



90 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

do justice to the superb merit of his achievements. Then 
back through the dark, bitter night the army, under his con- 
trol and guidance, filed and pitched its tents at Chattanooga, 
and there for long, woeful weeks the Army of the Cumberland 
held its position in the face of the beleaguering enemy with- 
out, and griping famine and mortal disease, grim and un- 
sparing, in its very midst. 

The War Department became dissatisfied with General 
Rosecrans, owing to the fact that Bragg had not been 
defeated and driven out of Northern Georgia, and decided 
upon his removal. It did not take long to decide as to his 
successor. 

Thomas, the " Rock of Chickamauga," was designated, 
and he issued his orders assuming command on the nineteenth 
day of October. Here an important and unexpected respon- 
sibility was thrust upon him, and that too under the most 
unfavorable circumstances. The troo])s were on short rations 
and with every prospect of being still further reduced, owing 
to the difficulties of getting supplies from Bridgeport and 
Stevenson, the enemy commanding the river at one or more 
points below Chattanooga. This was the state of things 
when the War Department telegraphed to Thomas to know 
how long he could hold Chattanooga. His reply, character- 
istic of the man, was in the strong, terse words, " We will 
HOLD IT UNTIL WE STARVE." Such was the Confidence he 
had in his troops that he felt sure that they would prefer death, 
then and there, by starvation in preference to an ignominious 
abandonment of all the fruits of that campaign. 

Thomas's report of the Chickamauga campaign : 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 91 

"Headquarters Fourteenth Army Corps, 
" CnATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, September 30, 1863. 

"General, — I have the honor to report the operations 
of my corps from the 1st of September up to date, as fol- 
lows, viz. : 

" General Brannan's division crossed the Tennessee River 
at Battle Creek ; General Baird ordered to cross his first divi- 
sion at Bridgeport, and to move to Ta}'lor's Store ; General 
Negley's second division to cross the river at Caperton's Ferry, 
and to report at Taylor's Store also. 

^'September 2. — General Baird 's division moved to Widow's 
Creek. General Negley reports having arrived at Moore's 
Spring, one and a quarter miles from Taylor's Store and two 
miles from Bridgeport ; he was orderd to cross the mountain 
at that point, it being the most direct route to Trenton, in the 
vicinity of which place the corps was ordered to concentrate. 

"September 3. — Headquarters Fourteenth Army Corps 
moved from Bolivar Springs at 6 a.m. via Caperton's Ferry 
to Moore's Spring, on the road from Bridgeport to Trenton. 
Baird's division reached Bridgeport, but could not cross in 
consequence of damage to the bridge; Negley's division 
marched to Warren's Mills, on the top of Sand Mountain, 
on the road to Trenton; Brannan's division reached Graham's 
Store, on the road from Shell INIound to Trenton ; Reynolds's 
division marched six miles on the Trenton road from Shell 
Mound. 

"September 4. — Xegley's division camped at Brown's 
Spring, at foot of Sand Mountain, in Lookout Valley ; 
Brannan's division at Gordon's Mill, on Sand Mountain ; 
Reynolds's division at foot of Sand Mountain, two miles from 
Trenton. Baird's division crossed the river at Bridgeport, 
and camped at that point. Corps headquarters at Moore's 
Spring. 



92 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"September 5. — Baird's division arrived at Moore's Spring; 
Negley's division still in camp at Brown's Spring. He re- 
ports having sent forward a reconnoissance of two regiments 
of infantry and a section of artillery to scour the country 
towards Chattanooga and secure some captured stores near 
Macon Iron-Works. They captured some Confederate army 
supplies. No report from Braunan's division. Reynolds's 
division in camp at Trenton ; Brannan somewhere in neigh- 
borhood. Corps headquarters at Warren's Mill. 

"September 6. — Baird's division encamped at Warren's 
Mill ; Negley's division reached Johnson's Crook. Beatty's 
brigade was sent up the road to seize Stevens's Gap ; met the 
enemy's pickets and, it being dark, did not proceed farther. 
The Eighteenth Ohio, of Negley's division, went to the top 
of Lookout Mountain, beyond Payne's Mills ; met the en- 
emy's pickets and dispersed them. The head of Brannan's 
column reached Lookout Valley, two miles below Trenton ; 
Reynolds's division in camp at Trenton ; rumors of the en- 
emy's design to evacuate Chattanooga. Corps headquarters at 
Brown's Spring. 

"September 7. — Baird's division closed up with Negley's 
in the mouth of Johnson's Crook. Negley's gained pos- 
session of the top of the mountain, and secured the forks of 
the road. Brannan's division reached Trenton ; Reynolds 
remained in camp at that place. Corps headquarters still at 
Brown's Spring. 

"September 8. — Baird's division remained in its camp of 
yesterday, at the junction of Hurricane and Lookout Creeks. 
Negley's division moved up to the top of Lookout Mountain, 
at the head of Johnson's Crook, one brigade occupying the 
pass ; another brigade was sent forward and seized Cooper's 
Gap, sending one regiment to the foot of the gap to occujiy 
and hold it ; one regiment was also sent forward to seize 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 93 

Stevens's Gap, which was heavily obstructed with fallen trees. 
Brannan's division occupied the same position as last night. 
Keynolds's division, headquarters at Trenton, with one brigade 
at Payne's Mills, three miles south of Trenton. Headquarters 
of the corps still at Brown's Spring. 

""September 9. — Baird's division moved across Lookout 
Mountain to the support of Negley. Negley's division moved 
across the mountain and took up a position in McLamore's 
Cove, near Rogers's farm, throwing out his skirmishers as far 
as Bailey's Cross-Roads. Saw the enemy's cavalry in front, 
drawn up in line ; citizens reported a heavy force concentrated 
in his front at Dug Gap, consisting of infantry, cavalry, and 
artillery. Brannan's division in same camp as yesterday; 
Reynolds's division also. The Ninety-second Illinois (mounted 
infantry) sent on a reconnoissance towards Chattanooga, along 
the ridge of Lookout Mountain. Colonel Atkins, command- 
ing Ninety-second Illinois, reports: September 9, 11 a.m., 
entered Chattanooga as the rear of the enemy's column was 
evacuating the place. Corps headquarters moved from Brown's 
Spring to Easley's farm, on Trenton and Lebanon road. 

"September 10. — General Negley's in front of, or one mile 
west of,. Dug Gap, which has been heavily obstructed by the 
enemy and occupied by a strong picket-line. General Baird 
ordered to move up to-night to Negley's support ; General 
Reynolds to move at daylight to support Baird's left, and 
General Brannan to move at 8 A.M. to-morrow morning to 
support Reynolds. Headquarters and General Reynolds's di- 
vision camped for the night at foot of the mountain. Bran- 
nan's division at Easley's. 

"September 11. — Baird's division closed up on Negley's at 
Widow Davis's house about 8 a.m. Soon afterwards, Negley 
being satisfied, from his own observations and from the re- 
ports of officers sent out to reconnoitre, and also from loyal 



94 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

citizens, that tlie enemy was advancing on him in very supe- 
rior force, and that this train was in imminent danger of 
being cut oif if we accepted battle at Davis's Cross-Roads, 
determined to fall back to a strong position in front of Ste- 
vens's Gap. His movement he immediately proceeded to put 
into execution, and by his untiring energy and skill, and with 
the prompt co-operation of Baird, succeeded in gaining pos- 
session of the hills in front of Stevens's Gap, and securing 
his trains, without losing a single wagon. For a detailed ac- 
count of this movement, see repoits of Generals Negley and 
Baird, annexed, marked A and B. General Turchin, com- 
manding Third Brigade, Reynolds's division, was pushed for- 
ward, by way of Cooper's Gap, to Negley's support on the 
left, reaching his position about 10 o'clock a.m. Orders were 
sent to General Brannan to close up as rapidly as possible. 
Corps headquarters at top of Cooper's Gap. 

"■September 12. — Brannan 's division reached Negley's po- 
sition by 8 AM., and took post next on the left of Baird. 
Reynolds's division was posted on the left of Brannan, one 
brigade covering Cooper's Gap. Reports from citizens go to 
confirm the impression that a large force of the enemy is 
concentrated at Lafayette. A report from General McCook 
confirms that fact. A later despatch from the same source 
says it is reported that Bragg's whole army, with Johnston's, 
is at Lafayette. Generals Brannan and Baird, with part of 
their commands, went out on a reconnoissance towards Dug 
Gap at 1 o'clock p.m. to-day. General Brannan reports they 
advanced two miles beyond Davis's Cross-Roads without find- 
ing any enemy, with the exception of a few mounted men. 
Corps headquarters encamped at top of Stevens's Gap. 

"September 13. — Negley's, Baird's, and Brannan's divisions 
remained in their camps of yesterday waiting the arrival of 
McCook's corps, which had been ordered to close to the left. 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 95 

Reynolds concentrated his division on the road from Cooper's 
Gap to Catlett's Gap. Two deserters from Eighteenth Ten- 
nessee state that they belong to Buckner's corps. Buckner's 
corps consists of eight brigades and two batteries, six guns 
each ; were in the fight with Negley. Saw a brigade of For- 
rest's cavalry, commanded by Forrest himself, pass towards 
the fight on the eleventh. Hill's and Buckner's corps were 
both engaged. Bragg's army is concentrated at Lafayette. 
Headquarters moved by way of Cooper's Gap to the foot of 
the mountain. 

''September 14. — General Reynolds took up a position at 
Pond Spring, with his two infantry brigades, and was joined by 
Wilder at that place. Turchin's brigade, of Reynolds's divi- 
sion, made a reconnoissance to the mouth of Catlett's Gap with 
tlie Ninety-second Illinois (mounted infantry). Was opposed 
by the rebels' mounted pickets from Chickamauga Creek to 
mouth of Catlett's Gap, at which place he found their reserve 
drawn up, also a strong line of skirmishers to the right of the 
road ; but having received instructions to avoid bringing on 
an engagement, he returned to camp with the brigade, leaving 
two regiments on Chattanooga Valley road, strongly posted 
on outposts. General Brannan advanced one brigade of his 
division to Chickamauga Creek, east of Lee's Mills, one mile 
to the right and south of Reynolds's position at Pond Spring. 
A mounted reconnoissance was also pushed forward to within 
a mile of Bluebird Gap without encountering any of the 
enemy. A negro who had been taken before General Buck- 
ner yesterday, and released again, reports that Buckner and 
his corps are in Catlett's Gap preparing to defend that 
place. A negro woman, lately from the neighborhood of 
Dug Gap, reports a large force of rebels between Dug Gap 
and Lafayette. 

"September 16. — Corjjs headquarters and first and second 



96 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEy. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

divisions remained camped, as last reported, at foot of Ste- 
vens's Gap. Turchin's brigade, of Reynolds's division, made 
a reconnoissance towards Catlett's Gap. The enemy fell back 
as he advanced, until he came upon a force strongly posted, 
with two ])ieces of artillery, in the road. He made a second 
reconnoissance at 2 p.m. that day, with but little further result, 
as he could advance but a short distance farther, the enemy 
being in force in his front. 

'^September 17. — First, second, and third divisions changed 
their positions from their camps of yesterday : Baird's (first) 
division, with its right resting at Gower's Ford and extending 
along Chickamauga Creek to Bird's ]\Iill ; Negley's (second) 
division, with its right at Bird's Mill, and its left connecting 
Avith Van Cleve's division at Owen's Ford ; Brannan's (third) 
division, on the right of the first, covering four fords between 
Gower's Ford and Pond Spring ; one brigade of the fourth 
division (Reynolds's) thrown out in front of Pond Spring, on 
the Catlett's Gap road, covering the pass through the moun- 
tains. Wilder's brigade detached and ordered to report to 
department headquarters. The left of McCook's corps closed 
in, connecting with our right near Pond Spring. 

^'September 18. — At 4 p.m. the whole corps moved to the left 
along Chickamauga Creek to Crawfish Springs. On arriving 
at that place received orders to move on the cross-road leading 
by Widow Glenn's house to the Chattanooga and Lafayette 
road, and take up a position near Kelley's farm, on the La- 
fayette road, connecting with Crittenden on my right at 
Gordon's Mill. Tlie head of the column reached Kelly's 
farm about daylight on the 19th, Baird's division in front, 
and took uj) a position at the forks of the road, facing towards 
Peid's and Alexander's bridges over the Chickamauga. Colo- 
nel Wilder, commanding the mounted brigade of Reynolds's 
division, informed me that the enemy had crossed the Chick- 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 97 

amanga in force at those two bridges the evening before and 
driven his brigade across the State road, or Chattanooga and 
Lafayette road, to the heights east of the Widow Glenn's 
house. Kelley's house is situated in an opening about three- 
fourths of a mile long and one-fourth of a mile wide, on the 
east side of the State road, and stretches along that road in a 
northerly direction, with a small field of perhaps twenty acres 
on the west side of the road, directly opposite to the house. 
From thence to the Chickamauga the surface of the country 
is undulating and covered with original forest timber, inter- 
spersed with undergrowth, in many places so dense that it is 
difficult to see fifty paces ahead. There is a cleared field near 
Jay's Mill, and cleared land in the vicinity of Reid's and 
Alexander's bridges. A narrow field commences at a point 
about a fourth of a mile south of Kelley's house, on the east 
side of the Stiite road, and extends perhaps for half a mile 
along the road towards Gordon's Mill. Between the State road 
and the foot of Missionary Ridge there is a skirt of timber 
stretching from the vicinity of Widow Glenn's house, south 
of the forks of the road, to McDaniel's house, three-fourths 
of a mile north of Kelley's. The eastern slope of the Mis- 
sionary Ridge between Glenn's and McDaniel's is cleared and 
mostly under cultivation. This position of Baird's threw my 
right in close proximity to Wilder's brigade ; the interval I 
intended to fill up with the two remaining brigades of Rey- 
nolds's division on their arrival. General Brannan, closely 
following Baird's division, was placed in position on his left, 
on the two roads leading from the State road to Reid's and 
Alexander's bridges. Colonel Dan McCook, commanding 
a brigade of the reserve corps, met me at General Baird's 
headquarters, and reported to me that he had been stationed 
the previous night on the road leading to Reid's bridge, and 
that he could discover no force of the enemy except one bri- 

7 



98 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

gade -wliicli had crossed to the west side of Chickamauga at 
Reid's bridge the day before ; and he believed it could be cut 
off because after it had crossed he had destroyed the bridge, 
tlie enemy having retired towards Alexander's bridge. Upon 
this information I directed General Brannan to post a brigade 
within supporting distance of Baird, on the road to Alexan- 
der's bridge, and with his other two brigades to reconnoitre 
the road leadino; to Reid's brido;e to see if he could locate the 
brigade reported by Colonel McCook, and, if a favorable 
opportunity occurred, to capture it. His dispositions were 
made accordino- to instructions bv 9 A.m. General Baird was 
directed to throw forward his right wing, so as to get more 
nearly in line with Brannan, but to watch well on his right 
flank. Soon after this disposition of these two divisions, a 
portion of Palmer's division, of Crittenden's corps, took posi- 
tion to the right of General ^Baird's division. About 10 
o'clock Croxton's brigade, of Brannan's division, posted on 
the road leading to Alexander's bridge, became engaged with 
the enemy, and I rode forward to his position to ascertain the 
character of the attack. Colonel Croxton reported to me that 
he had driven the enemy nearly half a mile, but that he was 
then meetino; with obstinate resistance. I then rode back to 
Baird's position and directed him to advance to Croxton's 
suj^port, which he did with his whole division, Starkweather's 
brigade in reserve, and drove the enemy steadily before him 
for some distance, taking many prisoners. Croxton's bri- 
gade, which had been heavily engaged for over an hour with 
greatly superior numbers of the enemy, and being nearly ex- 
hausted of ammunition, was then moved to the rear to enable 
the men to fill up their boxes ; and Baird and Brannan having 
united their forces, drove the enemy from their immediate 
front. General Baird then halted for the purpose of read- 
justing his line, and learning from prisoners that the enemy 



CmCKAMAVGA CAMPAIGN. 99 

were in heavy force on his immediate right, he threw back 
his right wing in order to be ready for an attack from that 
quarter. Before his dispositions coukl be completed the 
enemy in overwhehiiing numbers furiously assaulted Scrib- 
ner's and King's brigades, and drove them in disorder. For- 
tunately, at this time Johnson's division, of McCook's corps, 
and Reynolds's division, of my corps, arrived and were im- 
mediately placed in position ; Johnson preceding Reynolds, 
his left connecting with Baird's right, and Palmer beins; 
immediately on Johnson's right, Reynolds was placed on 
the right of Palmer, with one brigade of his division in 
reserve. As soon as formed they advanced upon the enemy, 
attacking him in flank and driving him in great confusion 
for a mile and a half, while Brannan's troops met them in 
front as they were pursuing Baird's retiring brigades, driving 
the head of his column back ajid retaking the artillery which 
had been temjjorarily lost by Baird's brigades, the Ninth 
Ohio recovering Battery H, Fifth United States Artillery, at 
the point of the bayonet. The enemy at this time being 
hardly pressed by Johnson, Palmer, and Reynolds in flank, 
fell back in confusion upon his reserves, posted in a strong 
position on the west side of Chickamauga Creek between 
Reid's and Alexander's bridges. Brannan and Baird were 
then ordered to reorganize their commands and take position 
on commanding ground on the road from McDaniel's to 
Reid's bridge, and hold it to the last extremity, as I expected 
the next effort of the enemy would be to gain that road and 
our rear. This was about. 2 p.m. After a lull of about one 
hour, a furious attack was made upon Reynolds's right, and 
he having called upon me for reinforcements, I directed 
Brannan's division to move to his support, leaving King's 
brigade, of Baird's division, to hold the position at whicli 
Baird and Brannan had been posted, the balance of Baird's 



100 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

division closing up to the riglit of Johnson's division. It 
will be seen, by General Reynolds's report, Croxton's brigade, 
of Brannan's division, reached his riglit just in time to defeat 
the enemy's efforts to turn Reynolds's right and rear. About 
5 P.M., my lines being at that time very much extended in 
pursuing the enemy, I determined to concentrate them on 
more commanding ground, as I felt confident that we should 
have a renewal of the battle the next morning. I rode for- 
Avard to General Johnson's position and designated to him 
where to place his division ; also to General Baird, who Avas 
present with Johnson. I then rode back to the cross-roads 
to locate Palmer and Reynolds on Johnson's right, and on 
the crest of the ridge about five hundred yards east of the 
State road. Soon after. Palmer and Reynolds got their posi- 
tions ; and while Brannan was getting his, on the ridge to the 
west of the State road, near Dyer's house, to the rear and 
right of Reynolds, where I had ordered him as a reserve, 
the enemy assaulted first Johnson and then Baird in a most 
furious manner, producing some confusion, but order was soon 
restored and the enemy repulsed in fine style; after which 
these two divisions took up the positions assigned to them for 
the night. Before adjusting the line satisfacf5rily, I received 
an order to report to department headquarters immediately, 
and was absent from my command until near midnight. After 
my return from department headquarters, and about 2 A.M. 
on tlie 20th, I received a report from General Baird that the 
left of his division did not rest on the Reid's bridge road as 
I had intended, and that he could not reach it without weak- 
ening his line too much. I immediately addressed a note to 
the general commanding requesting that General IS'egley be 
sent me to take position on General Baird 's left and rear, 
and thus secure our left from assault. During the night the 
troops threw up temporary breastworks of logs, and prepared 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. IQl 

for the encounter which all anticipated would come off the next 
day. Although informed by note from General Rosecrans's 
headquarters that Negley's division would be sent immediately 
to take post on my left, it had not arrived at 7 a.m. on the 20th, 
and I sent Captain Willard, of my staif, to General jSJ'eglev to 
urge him forward as rapidly as possible, and to point out his 
position to him. General Negley, in his official report, men- 
tions that he received this order through Captain Willard at 
8 A.]\r. on the 20th, and that he immediately commenced 
withdrawing his division for that purpose, when the enemy 
was reported to be massing a heavy force in his front, sharply 
engaging his skirmishers, and that he was directed by General 
Rosecrans to hold his position until relieved by some other 
command. General Beatty's brigade, however, was sent under 
guidance of Captain Willard, who took it to its position, and 
it went into action immediately. The enemy at that time 
commenced a furious assault on Baird's left, and partially 
succeeded in gaining his rear. Beatty, meeting with superior 
numbers, was compelled to fall back until relieved by the fire 
of several regiments of Palmer's reserve, which I had ordered 
to the support of the left, being placed in position by General 
Baird, and which regiments, with the co-operation of Van 
Deever's brigade, of Brannan's division, and a portion of 
Stanley's brigade, of Negley's division, drove the enemy en- 
tirely from Baird's left and rear. General Baird being still 
hardly pressed in front, I ordered General Wood, who had 
just reported to me in person, to send one of the brigades of 
his division to General Baird. He replied that his division 
had been ordered by General Rosecrans to support Reynolds's 
right, but that if I would take the responsibility of changing 
his orders, he would cheerfully obey them, and sent Barnes's 
brigades, the head of which had just reached my position. 
General Wood then left me to rejoin the remainder of his 



102 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

division, which was still coming up. To prevent a repetition 
of this attack on the part of the enemy, I directed Captain 
Gaw, chief topographical officer on ray stafP, to go to the com- 
manding officer of the troops on the left and rear of Baird's 
and direct hira to mass as much artillery on the slopes of 
Missionary Ridge, west of the State road, as he could con- 
veniently spare from his lines, supported strongly by infantry, 
so as to sweep the ground to the left and rear of Baird's posi- 
tion. This order General Negley, in his official report, men- 
tions having received through Captain Gaw, but, from his 
description of the position he assumed, he must have misun- 
derstood my order, and instead of massing the artillery near 
Baird's left, it was posted on the right of Brannan's division, 
nearly in rear of Reynolds's right. At the time the assault 
just described was made on Baird, the enemy attacked John- 
son, Palmer, and Reynolds with equal fierceness, Avhich was 
continued at least two hours, making assault after assault with 
fresh troops, which were met by our troops with a most de- 
termined coolness and deliberation. The enemy having ex- 
hausted his utmost energies to dislodge us, he apparently fell 
back entirely from our front, and we were not disturbed again 
until near night, after the withdrawal of the troops to Ross- 
ville had commenced. Just before the repulse of the enemy 
on our left. General Beatty came to me for fresh troops in 
person, stating that most of those I had sent to him had gone 
back to the rear and right, and he was anxious to get at least 
another brigade before they attacked him again. I immedi- 
ately sent Captain Kellogg to hurry up General Sheridan, 
whose division I had been informed would be sent to me. 
About 2 P.M., hearing heavy firing to my right and rear 
through the woods, very soon after Captain Kellogg left me, 
I turned in that direction and was riding to the slope of the 
hill in my rear to ascertain the cause. Just as I passed out of 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 103 

the woods bordering the State road I met Captain Kellogg 
returning, who reported to me that in attempting to reach 
General Sheridan he had met a large force in an open corn- 
field to the rear of Reynolds's position, advancing cautiously, 
with a strong line of skirmishers thrown out to their front, 
and that they had fired on him and forced him to return, 
lie had reported this to Colonel Harker, commanding a bri- 
gade of Wood's division, posted on a ridge a short distance to 
the rear of Reynolds's position, who also saw this force ad- 
vancing, but, with Captain Kellogg, was of the opinion that 
they might be Sheridan's troops coming to our assistance. I 
rode forward to Colonel Harker's position and told him that, 
although I was expecting Sheridan from that direction, if 
these troops fired on him, seeing his flags, he must return their 
fire and resist their further advance. He immediately ordered 
his skirmishers to commence firing, and took up a position 
with his brigade on the crest of a hill a short distance to his 
right and rear, placing his right in connection with Brannan's 
division and portions of Beatty's and Stanley's brigades, of 
Negley's division, which had been retired to that point from 
the left, as circumstantially narrated in the report of General 
John Beatty and Colonel Stanley. I then rode to the east of 
the hill referred to above. On my way I met General Wood, 
who confirmed me in the opinion that the troops advancing 
upon us were the enemy, although we were not then aware 
of the disaster to the right and centre of our army. I then 
directed him to place his division on the prolongation of 
Brannan's, who, I had ascertained from Hood, was on the top 
of the hill above referred to, and to resist the further advance 
of the enemy as long as possible. I sent my aide. Captain 
Kellogg, to notify General Reynolds that our right had been 
turned, and that the enemy was in his rear and in force. 
General Wood barely had time to dispose his troops on the 



104 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

left of Brannan before another of tliose fierce assaults, similar 
to those made in the morning on my lines, was made on him 
and Brannan combined, and kept up by the enemy throwing 
in fresh troops as fast as those in their front were driven back 
until near nightfall. About the time that Wood took up his 
position, General Gordon Granger appeared on my leit flank 
at the head of Steed man's division of his corj^s. I immedi- 
ately despatched a staff officer. Captain Johnson, Second In- 
diana Cavalry, of Negley's division, to him with orders to 
push forward and take position on Brannan's right, which 
order was complied with with the greatest prom])tness and 
alacrity, Steedman moving his division into position with 
almost as much precision as if on drill, and fighting his way 
to the crest of the hill on Brannan's right, moved forward 
his artillery and drove the enemy down the southern slope, 
inflicting on him a most terrible loss in killed and wounded. 
This opportune arrival of fresh troops revived the flagging 
spirits of our men on the right, and inspired them with new 
ardor for the contest. Every assault of the enemy from that 
time until nightfall was repulsed in the most gallant style by 
the whole line. By this time the ammunition in the boxes of 
the men was reduced, on an average, to two or three rounds 
per man, and my ammunition-trains having been unfortunately 
ordered to the rear by some unauthorized person, we should 
have been entirely without ammunition in a very short time 
had not a small supply come up with General Steedman's 
command. This being distributed among the troops, gave 
them about ten rounds per man. General Garfield, chief of 
staff of General «Rosecrans, reached this position about 4 p.m., 
in company with Lieutenant-Colonel Thruston, of McCook's 
staff, and Captains Gaw and Barker, of my staff, who had been 
sent to the rear to bring back the ammunition, if possible. 
General Garfield gave me the first reliable information that 




^ 




CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. 105 

the riglit and centre of our own army had been driven, and 
of its condition at tliat time. I soon after received a despatch 
from General Rosecrans directing me to assume command of 
all forces and, with Crittenden and McCook, take a strong 
position and assume a threatening attitude at Rossville, send- 
ing the unorganized forces to Chattanooga for reorganization, 
stating that he would examine the ground at Chattanooga 
and then join me ; also that he had sent out rations and am- 
munition to meet me at Rossville. I determined to hold the 
position until nightfall, if possible, in the mean time sending 
Captains Barker and Kellogg to distribute the ammunition, — 
Major Laurence, my chief of artillery, having been previ- 
ously sent to notify the different commanders that ammunition 
would be snpplied them shortly. As soon as they re]iorted 
the distribution of the ammnnition, I directed Captain Willard 
to inform the division commanders to prepare to withdraw their 
commands as soon as they received orders. At 5.30 p.m. Cap- 
tain Barker, commanding my escort, was sent to notify General 
Reynolds to commence the mov^ement, and I left the position 
behind General Wood's command to meet Reynolds and point 
out to him the position where I wished him to form line to 
cover the retirement of the other troops on the left. In pass- 
ing through an open woods bordering on the State road, and 
between my last and Reynolds's position, I was cautioned by 
a couple of soldiers, who had been to hnnt water, that there 
was a large rebel force in these woods, drawn np in line and 
advancing towards me. Just at this time I saw the head of 
Reynolds's column approaching, and calling to the general 
himself, directed him to form line perpendicular to the State 
road, changing the head of his column to the left, with his 
right resting on that road, and to charge the enemy who were 
then in his immediate front. This movement was made with 
the utmost promptitude, and, facing to the right whilst on the 



106 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

march, Turchin threw his brigade upon the rebel force, 
routing them and driving them in utter confusion entirely 
beyond Baird's left. In this splendid advance more than 
two liundred prisoners were captured and sent to the rear. 
Colonel Robinson, commanding the Twentieth Brigade, Rey- 
nolds's division, followed closely upon Turchin, and I posted 
liim on the road leading through the ridge to hold the ground 
whilst the troops on our right and left passed by. In a few 
moments General Willich, commanding a brigade of John- 
son's division, reported to me that his brigade was in position 
on a commanding piece of ground to the right of the ridge 
road. I directed him to report to General Reynolds and 
assist in covering the retirement of the troops. Turchin's 
brigade, after driving the enemy a mile and a half, was reas- 
sembled, and took its position on the ridge road with Robin- 
son and Willich. These dispositions being made, I sent 
orders to Generals Wood, Brannan, and Granger to withdraw 
from their positions. Johnson's and Baird's divisions Avere 
attacked at the moment of retiring, but, by being prepared, 
retired without confusion or any serious losses. General 
Palmer was also attacked whilst retiring:. Gross's brigade 
was thrown into some confusion, but Cruft's brigade came 
oif in good style, both, however, with little loss. I then 
proceeded to Rossville, accompanied by Generals Garfield and 
Gordon Granger, and immediately prepared to place the 
troops in position at that point. One brigade of i!^egley's 
division was posted in the gap, on the Ringgold road, and two 
brigades on the top of the ridge, to the right of the road, ad- 
joining the brigade in the road; Reynolds's division on the 
right of Negley's and reaching to the Dry Valley road ; 
Brannan's division, in the rear of Reynolds's right, as a re- 
serve; McCook's corps on the right of the Dry Valley road, 
and stretching towards the west, his right reaching nearly to 



CHICKAMAVGA CAMPAIGN. 107 

Chattanooga Creek. Crittenden's entire corps was posted on 
the heights to the left of the Ringgold road, with Steedman's 
division, of Granger's corps, in reserve behind his left, Biird's 
division in reserve, and in supporting distance of the brigade 
in the gap. McCook's brigade, of Granger's corps, was also 
posted as a reserve to the brigade of Negley's on the top of 
the ridge, to the right of the road. Minty's brigade of cav- 
alry was on the Ringgold road, about one mile and a half in 
advance of the gap. About 10 a.m. on the 21st received a 
message from Minty that the enemy were adv^ancing on him 
with a strong force of cavalry and infantry. I directed him 
to retire tli rough the gap and post his command on our left 
flank, and throw out strong reconnoitring parties across the 
ridge to observe and report any movements of the enemy on 
our left front. From information received from citizens, I 
was convinced that the position was untenable in the face of 
the odds we had opposed to us, as the enemy could easily 
concentrate upon our right flank, which, if driven, would ex- 
pose our centre and left to be cut entirely off from our com- 
munications. I therefore advised the commanding general to 
concentrate the troops at Chattanooga. About the time I made 
the suggestion to withdraw, the enemy made a demonstration 
in the direct road, but were soon repulsed. In anticipation 
of this order to concentrate at Chattanoora, I sent for the 
corps commanders and gave such general instructions as 
would enable them to prepare their commands for making 
the movement without confusion. All wagons, ambulances, 
and surplus artillery carriages were sent to the rear before 
night. The order for the withdrawal being received about 
6 P.M., the movement commenced at 9 p.m. in the following 
order : Strong skirmish lines, under the direction of judicious 
officers, were thrown out to the front of each division to cover 
this movement, with directions to retire at daylight, deployed 



108 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

and in supporting distance, the whole to be supported by the 
First Division Fourteenth Army Corps, under tlie superin- 
tendence of ]Major-G(!neral Rousseau, assisted by ISIinty's 
brigade of cavalry, which was to follow after the skirmishers. 
Crittenden's corps was to move from the mills to the left of 
the road at 9 p.m., followed by Steedman's division. Next, 
Negley's division was to withdraw at 10 p.m. ; then Rey- 
nolds, McCook's corps, by divisions from left to right, mov- 
ing within supporting distance one after the other. Brannan's 
was posted at 6 p.m., on the road about half-way between 
Rossville and Chattanooga to cover the movement. The 
troops were withdrawn in a quiet, orderly manner, without 
the loss of a single man, and by 7 a.m. on the 22d were in 
their positions in front of Chattanooga, which had been as- 
signed to them previous to their arrival, and which they now 
occupy, covered by strong intrench ments thrown up on the 
day of our arrival, and strengthened from day to day until 
they were considered sufficiently strong for all defensive j)ur- 
poses. I respectfully refer you to the reports of division, 
brigade, and regimental commanders for the names of those 
of their respective commands who distinguished themselves. 
Among them I am much gratified to find the names of Colo- 
nel F. Van Deveer, Thirty-fifth Ohio, commanding Third 
Brigade, and Colonel John T. Croxton, Fourth Kentucky, 
commanding Second Brigade, Brannan's division, both of 
whom I saw on Saturday, and can confirm the reports given 
of them by their division commander. Colonel B. F. Scrib- 
ner. Thirty-eighth Indiana, commanding First Brigade, 
Baird's division, was on the right of that division on Satur- 
day morning when it was attacked in flank by an over- 
whelming force of the enemy and driven back ; yet Colonel 
Scribner was enabled to rally and reorganize it without the 
least difficulty as soon as supported by Johnson's division. 



CHICKAMAUGA CAMPAIGN. • 109 

All the troops under my immediate command fought most 
gallantly on battle days, and were ably handled by their re- 
spective commanders, viz., Major-Generals Palmer and Rey- 
nolds and Brigadier-Generals Brannan, Johnson, and Baird, 
on Saturday; and on Snnday, in the afternoon, in addition to 
the above, Major-Geiieral Gordon Granger, commanding re- 
serve corps, and Brigadier-General Wood, commanding First 
Division Twenty-first Army Corps, wlio with two brigades 
of his division, under their brav^e commanders, Colonels 
Harker and Buell, most nobly sustained Brannan's left, while 
Brigadier-General Steedman, commanding a division of the 
reserve corps, as valiantly maintained his right. Colonel 
Dan McCook, commanding a brigade of the reserve corps, 
and left by General Granger near McDaniel's house, in a 
commanding position, kept a large force of the enemy's cav- 
alry at bay while hovering on Baird's left, and with his bat- 
tery materially aided Turchin's handsome charge on the 
enemy who had closed in on our left. Brigadier-General 
Willich, commanding a brigade of Johnson's division on 
Saturday, in the attack, and especially on Sunday, nobly 
sustained his reputation as a soldier. Brigadier-General 
John Beatty and Colonel F. R. Stanley, commanding bri- 
ga'des of Negley's division, bravely supported Baird's left 
in the morning of Sunday. Colonel Stanley being struck 
by the fragments of a shell and disabled in the afternoon, 
the brigade fought with Brannan's division, under the com- 
mand of Colonel W. L. Stoughton, Eleventh Michigan. 
Colonel J. G. Parkhurst, commanding Ninth Michigan 
Volunteers, and provost-marshal Fourteenth Army Corps, at 
the head of his regiment, did most valuable service on the 
20th in arresting stragglers and reorganizing the troops which 
had been driven from the field. His report is herewith 
enclosed, and special reference made thereto for particulars. 



110 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" I also tender my thanks to the members of my staff for 
the services they rendered me ; to Lieutenant-Colonel G. E. 
Flynt, my assistant adjutant-general, Lieutenant-Colonel A. 
J. Mackey, chief quartermaster, Lieutenant-Colonel J. R. 
Paul, chief commissary of subsistence, who, although not 
present on the field of battle, were discharging tlieir duties 
in their respective departments entirely to my satisfaction. 
Lieutenant-Colonel A. Von Sclirader, Seventy-fourth Ohio, 
assistant inspector-general, who rendered most efficient service 
as aide-de-camp during the first day's fight, and who was 
taken prisoner on the afternoon of the 19th while in dis- 
charge of his duty ; Major W. E. Lawrence, First Ohio Ar- 
tillery, my chief of artillery. Captains J. P. Willard and S. 
C. Kellogg, aides-de-camp ; Captain J. D. Barker, First Ohio 
Cavalry, commanding my escort ; Captain \V. B. Gaw, chief 
topographical officer Fourteenth Army Corps, as also the signal 
officers of the corps, who did duty on the field as aides, were 
of great assistance in conducting the operations of my com- 
mand. Surgeons F. H. Grass, medical director, and H. C. 
Barrell, medical purveyor, were untiring in their efforts to 
relieve the wants of the wounded. Dr. Grass was wounded 
early in the engagement, Sunday, but continued in the dis- 
charge of his duties. Captain G. C. Moody, Nineteenth 
United States Infantry, commissary of musters, also rendered 
efficient service as aide-de-camp. Captain Johnson, Second In- 
diana Cavalry, of General Negley's staff, and Captain T. C.Wil- 
liams, Nineteenth United States Infantry, of General Baird's 
staff, having been cut off from their respective commanders, 
reported to me for duty, and were of great assistance as aides. 

" I submit lierewith annexed a consolidated report of the 
casualties of the Fourteenth Array Oorps. 

" Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

"George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



ADVANCE TO CHATTANOOGA. HI 

The first duty that confronted Thomas on his assuming 
command was to provision his army, and to do this required 
the removal of all obstructions to the navigation of the river 
from Bridgeport to Chattanooga. To effect this he ordered 
General Hooker to concentrate his entire command at Bridge- 
port preparatory to advancing along the line of railroad from 
that point to Chattanooga, and after consulting with General 
W. F. Smith, his chief engineer, he determined upon other 
movements, in conjunction with Hooker's advance, which, if 
successful, would certainly open up the river, and also the 
main wagon-road from Bridgeport to Brown's Ferry. The 
army had one road uninterrupted by the enemy, which lay 
along the north bank of the river, but, owing to the moun- 
tainous character of the country over which it passed, it was 
simply a matter of impossibility to supply the army by that 
route. Until other avenues were opened, however, all the 
provisions taken to Chattanooga were hauled over that rough, 
rocky road. Every wagon that could be spared was loaded 
M'ith rations for the men, and the poor animals, cooped up in 
Chattanooga, had to be foraged on tender cane cut from the 
river bottom, as transportation was too scarce and the press- 
ing necessities of the men too great to permit the use of any 
wagons for transporting forage. 

Thomas directed General W. F. Smith to make a lodg- 
ment on the south bank of the Tennessee River at Brown's 
Ferry, and to seize the range of hills in that vicinity, as they 
commanded the Kelley's Ferry road. In connection with 
this movement. Hooker was to cross the river at Bridgeport 
and advance on Wauhatchie, a station on the line of the 



112 MEMOIR OF MAJ.GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

railroad. General John M. Palmer, subsequently Governor 
of the State of Illinois and one of the ablest and best generals 
in the army, occupied a position on the north bank of the 
river opposite Chattanooga. He was ordered to move his 
command along the north side of the river to a point nearly 
opposite Whitesides ; then to cross the river and hold the 
road passed over by Hooker. On the night of the 27th, 
General W. F. Smith, with a force of about two thousand 
men, under the command of General W. B. Hazen, floated 
down the river in pontoon-boats from Chattanooga, captured 
the enemy's pickets at Brown's Ferry, and seized the range 
of hills overlooking the Kelley's Ferry road. General Tur- 
cliin, with about twelve hundred men, moved along the 
north bank of the river to Brown's Ferry, and before the 
dawn of day were ferried across, and by 10 o'clock a.m. a 
pontoon-bridge spanned the river at that point. 

This movement, which originated with Thomas, and which 
was so admirably executed by those to whom it was en- 
trusted, was attended with great risk. The pontoons, loaded 
with the command, had to j^ass under the frowning brow of 
old Lookout, upon whose summit the enemy was encamped, 
little dreaming of the movements going on just below. 
Noiselessly the boats floated down, passing under the guns 
of the enemy ; not a word was said to disturb the quiet of 
the night until the proper moment arrived, and then, with 
the suddenness of the thunderbolt, those brave men rushed 
from their boats, seized the guards, and again all was quiet. 
Not a single one of the enemy escaped to tell the story, and 
hence the Federal command had plenty of time to make its 



GRANT AT CHATTANOOGA. 113 

lodgment secure. When the enemy awoke to the impor- 
tance of the advantage gained, a desperate effort was put 
forth to dislodge Hooker with two divisions of Longstreet's 
corps, but they were repulsed, and in great confusion driven 
back some distance. 

Tiiis little affair has passed into history as the battle of 
Wauhatchie. 

The successful carrying out of Thomas's instructions se- 
cured communication with Bridgeport by two routes, one by 
tiie way of Wauhatchie and Brown's Ferry, the other by 
river to Kelley's Ferry, and thence eight miles by wagon 
along the north bank of the river. Prior to this time Chat- 
tanooga was practically invested, the only avenue open being 
some sixty miles over roads almost impassable, and had the 
operations previously referred to failed, Chattanooga could 
not have been held a week longer. The occasion to do some- 
thing was urgent, and Thomas demonstrated his fitness for the 
emergency. His plans were well matured, and the discreet 
and gallant men chosen to carry out his orders did not disap- 
point him. Just previous to the commencement of the fore- 
going movement General Grant arrived, to whom Thomas 
submitted his proposed plans, and, after hearing him through, 
he gave them his unqualified approval. 

From a book published by W. F. G. Shanks, Esq., en- 
titled "Personal Recollections of Distinguished Generals," 
the following extract relating to General Thomas is taken : 

" In the campaign and battle of Chickamauga Thomas 
M'as second in command to Rosecrans, but in all its important 

8 



114 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

actions his is the principal figure. The story of Chickamauga 
has been often and, in one or two instances, well told ; but 
the whole truth about it must be reserved until time shall 
permit the historian to tell it without fear or favor. 

" Thomas stands forth the undisputed hero of that day, — 
the single spirit u})on whom all depends. He is the central 
figure. There are no heroes beside him. The young and 
noble ones who died, as Lytle and Burnham, Van Pelt and 
Jones, and those not less noble spirits who distinguished them- 
selves and lived to be rewarded, as Baird and Dick Johnson, 
old Stecdman and young Johnston, who guided his columns 
to the assault, Wood and Harker, — all these, surrounding 
Thomas, but added to his glory as the parhelion adds to the 
beauty of the sun. On the first day at Chickamauga Thomas 
did his share toward the destruction of a great rebel army, 
but it was in vain. The fruits of his victory were frittered 
away by the incompetency of others. There was no general 
advance when he advanced. On the second day it was too 
late; the enemy had succeeded in crossing his whole army 
over the Chickamauga, and the opportunity to destroy his 
forces in detail was gone forever. Circumstances then de- 
volved upon Thomas the task of saving a great army, not 
destroying one. The duty was nobly performed and the army 
nobly saved; and, though those Avho were not present, and 
who judge of the battle from hearsay, may be mystified by 
the circumlocution and vagueness of official reports, those 
who stayed at Chickamauga know very well that Thomas 
alone retrieved that disaster and saved Rosecrans' armv." 



CHAPTER VI. 

Appearance of Chattanooga — Thomas's Staff — Greneral W. D. Whipple, 
Chief — Who planned Battle of Mission Ridge — Grant's Eeport — 
Thomas's Eeport — Mr. Shanks again — Pursuit of Enemy to Ringgold 
— Demonstration against Rocky Pace and Buzzard Roost — March to 
Atlanta — Battles— Captain Wells, A. A. G. — General Palmer's Cool- 
ness and Gallantry, etc. 

PmoR to the war Chattanooga was a beautiful place, made 
so by the large number of handsome residences, surrounded 
by large and beautiful grounds tastefully laid out, with fine 
growths of shade and ornamental trees, giving the town an 
aristocratic appearance ; but when it became a military camp 
the trees were cut down for firewood, fences were destroyed, 
and the shrubbery was eaten up by the half-starved horses 
and mules belonging to the army. It required only a short 
time to obliterate all traces of beauty, although Thomas pro- 
hibited the wanton destruction of all personal and private 
property. But the motto of soldiers is, generally, " Necessitas 
non habet legencV 

Thomas gathered around him a splendid staff. He never 
took to his headquarters an officer for simple ornament. Every 
member of his military family was selected on account of his 
peculiar fitness for the particular duty required of him, and 
no indolent, lazy officer ever found an asylum on his staff. 

115 



116 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

His chief, General William D. Whipple, a brave, dauntless, 
and thoroughly-accomplished soldier, was just the man for 
his place. His gentlemanly conduct towards all those with 
whom he had business relations made hosts of friends for him, 
and all who had official business at headquarters saw the 
genuine soldier and gentleman combined in the gallant chief 
of staif. It was a noticeable fact that some of the general 
officers of the army were not so fortunate as Thomas in select- 
ing staif officers. 

He had no political friends to reward, and no degenerate 
kinsmen to fasten themselves, vampire-like, upon his jjerson, 
and hence he selected none but the best, and consequently was 
never compelled to apologize for the blunders or omissions of 
any member of his military family. Preceding the battle of 
Mission Ridge, Thomas and his staff were not idle. There 
were many things to be done to counterbalance the demoraliza- 
tion which seized upon his army after the battle of Chicka- 
mauga. It was not long, however, before the troops became 
enthused Avitli the knowledge of his presence and guidance, 
and when he was ready to engage in the battle his men were 
in fine spirits and "eager for the fray." 

It has been often asserted that the battle of Mission 
Ridge was planned by some one other than General Grant. 
The writer remembers very distinctly being at General 
Thomas's headquarters when an orderly or staff officer ar- 
rived and handed him an official communication, which he 
opened and read and passed over to him for perusal. It 
was the order for the battle, and was in the handwriting of 
General Grant himself. 



ADVANCE OF HOOKER'S COMMAND. 117 

It may be safely stated that General Grant planned all of 
his own battles. He may have had, and doubtless did, the 
benefit of the views of many of his subordinate commanders, 
and he may have been influenced to some extent by their 
opinions, but it was not necessary for him to call any one to 
his assistance after he had given a subject mature reflection. 

On the 23d day of November the movement against the 
enemy on Missionary Ridge began. Thomas's command 
rushed out of the temporary works by which it had been 
sheltered and drove the enemy beyond Orchard Knob, which 
was seized and fortified during the night. On the following 
morning he pushed Howard's corps along the south bank of 
tlie Tennessee River and across Citico Creek, where he re- 
ported to General Sherman, under whose command he served 
during the continuance of the battle and the subsequent march 
to East Tennessee for the relief of the beleaguered garrison 
of Knoxville. Under Thomas's supervision, Hooker scaled 
the western slope of Lookout Mountain, driving the enemy 
from his rifle-pits on the northern extremity and slope of the 
mountain, aided by Carlin's brigade, which was temporarily 
detached from Johnson's division for this particular service. 
During the advance of Hooker's command up the rugged 
slope of old Lookout, the thin, misty clouds which had en- 
veloped the crest of the mountain lowered so as to obscure 
his entire force from the view of the main army on the plain 
below. The rattle and roar of musketry was deafening, and 
as there was no way by which it could be ascertained how the 
conflict was going, the anxiety was intense, and all eyes were 
turned towards Hooker. Suddenly, as if to relieve the army 



118 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

from the painful suspense, a friendly breeze lifted the clouds, 
revealing Hooker's line, dotted here and there with regi- 
mental colors, and all moving steadily onward and upward. 
The sight was grand and beyond description, being a battle 
above the clouds in which the Federal army was victorious. 
During the night the rebel array abandoned its position on his 
front, and on the following morning Hooker took possession 
of the top of the mountain with a small force, and with the 
rest of his command swept across Lookout Valley to Rossville ; 
then, ascending Missionary Ridge, he moved northward to- 
wards the centre of the new line. General Sherman assaulted 
the enemy's right with great determination, and, owing to the 
advantage of position held by the Confederates, he had a hard 
and bloody encounter, but he gained a position close up to 
the rifle-pits of the enemy. General Thomas, with Baird's 
and Johnson's divisions of Palmer's corps, and Wood's and 
Sheridan's divisions of Granger's corps, attacked the enemy's 
centre on Missionary Ridge, and, after fearful fighting, carried 
its summit. The enemy still resisted Thomas's left, but was 
speedily overcome, when he abandoned his works at every 
point, falling back in great confusion. General Grant was in 
a position from which he could observe the movements of the 
entire line, and in his report to the War Department he said, — 

" The appearance of Hooker's column was at this time 
anxiously looked for and momentarily expected, moving on 
tlie ridge with his left in Chattanooga Valley and his right 
east of the ridge. His approach was intended as the signal 
for storming the ridge in the centre with strong columns, but 
the time necessarily consumed in the construction of the bridge 



GRANTS REPORT. 119 

near Chattanooga Creek detained him to a later hour than was 
expected. Being satisfied, from the latest information from 
him, that he must by this time be on his way from Rossville, 
though not yet in sight, and discovering that the enemy, in his 
desjjeration to defeat or resist the progress of Sherman, was 
weakening his centre on IMissionary Ridge, determined me 
to order the advance at once. Thomas was accordingly 
directed to move forward his troops, constituting our centre, 
— Baird's division (Fourteenth Corps), Wood^s and Sheridan's 
divisions (Fourth Corps), and Johnson's division (Fourteenth 
Corps), with a double line of skirmishers thrown out, followed 
in easy supporting distance by the whole force, — and carry the 
rifle-pits at the foot of Missionary Ridge, and, when carried, 
to reform his lines in the rifle-pits with a view to carrying 
the top of the ridge. 

" Tliese troops moved forward, drove the enemy from the 
rifle-pits at the base of the ridge, like bees from a hive, 
stopped but a moment until the whole were in line, and com- 
menced the ascent of the mountain from rlg-ht to left ahuost 
simultaneously, following closely the retreating enemy without 
further orders. They encountered a fearful volley of grape 
and canister from nearly thirty pieces of artillery, and mus- 
ketry from well-filled rifle-pits on the summit of the ridge. 
Not a waver, however, was seen in that long line of brave 
men ; their progress was steadily onward until the summit 
was in their possession. . . . 

" The resistance on Thomas's left being overcome, the enemy 
abandoned his position near the railroad tunnel in front of 
Sherman, and by twelve o'clock at night was in full retreat; 
and the whole of his strong })ositions on Lookout Mountain, 
Chattanooga Valley, and Missionary Ridge were in our 
possession, together with a large number of prisoners, ar- 
tillery, and small-arms." 



120 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

The official report of General Thomas of the operations 
of his troops in the battle of Mission Ridge is as follows : 

"Headquarters Department of Cumberland, 

Chattanooga, Tennessee, December 7, 1863. 

"General, — The following operations of the Army of 
the Cumberland since the 31st of October are respectfully 
submitted to the major-general commanding : 

" As soon as communication with Bridgeport had been 
made secure, and the question of supplying the army at this 
])oint rendered certain, preparations were at once commenced 
for driving the enemy from his position in our immediate 
front on Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge, and, if 
])ossible, to send a force to the relief of Knoxville. To en- 
able me to dislodge the enemy from the threatening position 
he had assumed in our front, guns of a heavier calibre than 
those with the army were needed ; also additional means for 
crossing the Tennessee River. Brigadier-General Brannan, 
chief of artillery, was directed to send for the necessary 
number of guns and ammunition, and, after consulting with 
Brigadier-General W. F. Smith, cliief engineer, to prepare 
the batteries for the guns on their arrival. Whilst awaiting 
the arrival of the guns and ammunition, work was prosecuted 
on the fortifications around the town. In addition to his 
duties of superintending the work on the fortifications, Gen- 
eral Smith pushed vigorously the construction of two pontoon- 
bridges to be used in the execution of the movements which 
were determined ujjon as necessary to a successful dislodg- 
ment of the enemy. 

" Guerillas having become somewhat troublesome to tlie 
northeast of McMinnville, and east of the Caney Fork of the 
Cumberland, Brigadier-General Elliott, chief of cavalry, was 
ordered, November 14, to establish his headquarters with 
the first division of cavalry at or near Alexandria, and em- 



OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL THOMAS. 121 

ploy the division in hunting up and exterminating these 
marauders. General Elliott reached Alexandria on the 18th. 
On the 27th he reports that his scouts met those of Burnside 
on Flint Ridge, east of Sparta, and that Lieutenant-Colonel 
Brownlow, with detachments from the First East Tennessee 
and Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, attacked the rebel Colonel 
Murry on the 21st, at Sparta, killing 1 and wounding 2, and 
capturing 10 of the enemy, including a lieutenant of Champ 
Ferguson's. He also captured a few horses, some ammuni- 
tion, and destroyed extensiv^e salt-works used by the rebels. 

"A company of scouts, under Captain Brixie, also en- 
countered a party of guerillas near Beersheba Springs, cap- 
turing 15 or 20 and dispersing the rest. 

"Brigadier-General R. S. Granger reports from Xashville, 
November 2, that a mixed command, under Lieutenant-Col- 
onel Scully, First Middle Tennessee Infantry, sent out from 
Nashville, attacked Hawkins and other guerilla chiefs, routed 
and pursued them to Centreville, where Hawkins made an- 
other stand, attacking our forces while crossing the river. 
Hawkins was again routed and pursued until his forces dis- 
persed. Rebel loss, from 15 to 20 killed and QQ prisoners. 
Our loss, 1 severely and several slightly wounded. Again, 
on November 4, that Major Fitzgibbon, Fourteenth Michigan 
Infantry, came upon the combined forces of Cooper, Kirk, 
Williams, and Scott (guerillas), at Lawrenceburg, thirty-five 
miles from Columbia, that morning, and after a severe hand- 
to-hand fight defeated them, killing 8, wounding 7, and cap- 
turing 24 prisoners, among the latter 1 captain and 2 lieu- 
tenants. Major Fitzgibbon's loss was 3 men slightly wounded 
and 8 horses killed. He reports the enemy 400 strong, and 
his force 120. 

^^ November 13. — Captain Cutler, with one company of 
mounted infantry and a portion of AVhitmore's battery, — 



122 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

mounted infantry belonging to the garrison of Clarksville, — 
had a fight near Pahiiyra with Captain Grey's company of 
guerillas, killing 2, wounding 5, and taking 1 prisoner. Cut- 
ler's loss was 1 lieutenant and 1 man wounded. 

^'November 16. — A scout was organized by Brigadier- 
General Payne, and sent out from Gallatin and Lavergne. 
'i'iiey report having killed 5 and captured 20 guerillas with 
horses, sheep, cattle, and hogs in their possession, collected 
for the use of the rebel army. 

^^ November 17. — Brigadier-General Crook was ordered to 
concentrate his division (Second Cavalry Division) at or near 
Huntsville, Alabama, to patrol the north side of the Tennes- 
see River from Decatur to Bridgeport, and to hunt up bands 
of guerillas reported to be roaming al out in that region, 
arrestino; and robbino- Union citizens. 

"General Crook reports, on the 21st, that an expedition sent 
down the Tennessee had destroyed nine boats between Whites- 
burg and Decatur, some of them sixty feet long. 

"The expedition crossed the river and drove off the rebels, 
taking their boats. From the best information to be obtained, 
there were two small regiments of cavalry and one battery on 
the other side doing picket duty. Lee and Roddy reported 
as having gone to Mississippi. 

" Major-General Sherman, commanding Army of the Ten- 
nessee, having been ordered with the Fifteenth Corps to this 
point, to participate in the operations against the enemy, 
reached Bridgeport with two divisions on the 16th Novem- 
ber. He came to the front himself, and, having examined 
the ground, expressed himself confident of his ability to exe- 
cute his share of the work. The ])]an of operations was then 
written out, substantially as follows : Sherman, with the Fif- 
teenth Corps, strengthened with one division from my com- 
mand, was to effect a crossing of the Tennessee River, just 



OFFICIAL RE FOR 2' OF GENERAL THOMAS. 123 

below the mouth of the South Chickamauga, on Saturday, 
November 21, at daylight, his crossing to be protected by 
artillery planted on the heights on the north bank of the 
river. After crossing his force, he was to carry the heights 
of Missionary Ridge from their northern extremity to about 
the railroad tunnel before the enemy could concentrate a force 
iigainst him. I was to co-operate with Sherman by concen- 
trating my troops in Chattanooga Valley, on ray left flank, 
leaving only the necessary force to defend the fortifications 
on the right and centre, with a movable column of one di- 
vision in readiness to move wherever ordere I. This division 
was to show itself as threateningly as possible on the most 
practicable line for making an attack up the valley. I was 
then to effect a junction with Sherman, making my advance 
from the left, well towards the north end of Missionary Ridge, 
and moving as nearly simultaneously with Sherman as pos- 
sible. The junction once formed and the ridge carried, com- 
munication would be at once established between the two 
armies by roads on the south bank of the river. Further 
movements to depend on those of tlie enemy. Lookout Val- 
ley was to be held by Geary's division and the two brigades 
of the Fourth Corps ordered to co-operate with him, the 
whole under command of General Hooker. Howard's corps 
-svas to be held in readiness to act either with my trooj^s at 
Chattanooga or with General Sherman's, and was ordered to 
take up a position on Friday night on the north side of the 
Tennessee, near the first pontoon-bridge, and there held in 
readiness for such orders as might become necessary. Gen- 
eral Smith commenced at once to collect his pontoons and 
material for bridges in the North Chickamauga Creek, pre- 
paratory to the crossing of Sherman's troops, proper precau- 
tions being taken that the enemy should not discover the 
movement. 



124 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"General Sherman then returned to Bridgeport to direct the 
movements of his troops. 

"On the 16th, Colonel Long, commanding Second Brigade 
Second Division cavalry command, was ordered to report at 
Chattanooga on Saturday, the 21st, at noon, the intention being 
for him to follow up the left flank of Sherman's troops, and if 
not required by General Sherman, he was to cross the Chicka- 
manga, make a raid upon the enemy's communications, and do 
as much damage as possible. Owing to a heavy rain-storm, 
commencing on Friday, 20th instant, and lasting all the 21st, 
General Sherman was not able to get his troops in position in 
time to commence operations on Saturday morning as he ex- 
pected. Learning that the enemy had discovered Sherman's 
movements across Lookout Valley, it was thought best that 
General Howard should cross over into Chattanooga, thus 
attracting the attention of the enemy, with the intention of 
leading him to suppose that the troops he had observed mov- 
ing were reinforcing Chattanooga, and thereby concealing 
the' real movements of Sherman. Accordingly, Howard's 
corps was crossed into Chattanooga on Sunday, and took up a 
position in full view of the enemy. In consequence of the 
bad condition of the roads. General Sherman's trooj)s were 
occupied all of Sunday in getting into position. In the mean 
time, the river having risen, both pontoon-bridges were broken 
by rafts sent down the river by the enemy, cutting off Oster- 
haus's division from the balance of Sherman's troops. It was 
thought that this would delay us another day, but during 
the night of the 22d two deserters reported Bragg had fallen 
back, and that there was only a strong picket-line in our 
front. Early on the morning of the 23d I received a note 
from the major-general commanding, directing me to ascer- 
tain by a demonstration the truth or falsity of this report. 
Orders were accordingly given to General Granger, command- 



OFFICIAL REPORT OF GEN. THOMAS. 125 

ing the Fourth Corps, to form his troops and to advance di- 
rectly in front of Fort Wood, and thus develop the strength 
of the enemy. General Pahner, commanding Fourteenth 
Corps, was directed to support General Granger's right, with 
Baird's division refused en echelon. Johnson's division to be 
held in readiness, under arms, in the intrenchments, to rein- 
force at any point. Howard's corps was formed en masse 
behind the centre of Granger's corps. The two divisions of 
Granger's corps, Sheridan's and Wood's, were formed in front 
of Fort Wood, Sheridan on the right. Wood on the left, and his 
left extending nearly to Citico Creek. The formation being 
completed, about 2 p.m. the troops were advanced steadily and 
with rapidity directly to tlie front, driving before them first 
the rebel pickets, then their reserves, and falling upon their 
grand guards, stationed in their first line of rifle-pits, cap- 
tured something over 200 men, and secured themselves in 
their new position before the enemy had sufficiently recovered 
from his surprise to attempt to send reinforcements from his 
main camp. Orders were then given to General Granger to 
make his position secure by constructing temporary breast- 
works and throwing out strong pickets to his front. 

"Howard's corps was moved up on his left flank, with the 
same instructions, and Bridge's Illinois battery was placed in 
position on Orchard Knob ; the troops remained in that posi- 
tion for the night. The Tennessee River having risen con- 
siderably from the effect of the previous heavy rain-storm, it was 
found difficult to rebuild the pontoon-bridge at Brown's Ferry. 
Therefore it was determined that General Hooker should 
take Osterhaus's division, which was still in Lookout Valley, 
Geary's division. Twelfth Corps, and Whittaker's and Grose's 
brigades, of the First Division Fourth Corps, mider Brigadier- 
General Cruft, and make a strong demonstration on the north- 
ern slope of Lookout Mountain, for the purpose of attracting 



126 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

the enemy's attention in tliat direction, and thus withdrawing 
him from Slierman whilst crossing the Tennessee at the mouth 
of the South Chickamauga. General Hooker was instructed 
that in making this demonstration, if he discovered the posi- 
tion and strength of the enemy would justify him in at- 
tempting to carry the point of the mountain, to do so. 

"By 4 P.M. on the evening of the 24th, General Hooker 
reported his troops in position and ready to advance. Find- 
ing Lookout Creek so much swollen as to be impassable, he 
sent Geary's division, Fourth Corps, to cross the creek at 
VVauhatchie and work down on the right bank, whilst he 
employed the remainder of his force in constructing tem- 
porary bridges across the creek on the main road. The enemy 
being attracted by the force on the road, did not observe the 
movements of Geary until his column was directly on his left 
and threatened his rear. Hooker's movements were facili- 
tated by the heavy mist which overhung the mountain, en- 
abling Geary to get into position without attracting attention. 
Finding himself vigorously pursued by a strong column on 
his left and rear, the enemy began to fall back with rapidity, 
but his resistance was obstinate, and the entire point of the 
"mountain was not gained until about 2 p.m., when General 
Hooker reported by signal and telegraph that he had carried 
the mountain as far as the road from Chattanooga Valley to 
the White House. Soon after, his main column coming up, 
his line was extended to the foot of the mountain near the 
mouth of Chattanooga Creek. His right, being still strongly 
resisted by the enemy, was reinforced by Carlin's brigade, 
First Division, Fourteenth Corps, which arrived at the White 
House about 5 p.m., in time to take part in the contest still 
going on at that point. Continuous and heavy skirmishing 
was kept up in Hooker's front until ten at night, when there 
was an unusual quietness along our whole front. 



OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL THOMAS. 127 

" With the aid of the steamer 'Dunbar/ which had been 
put in condition and sent up the river at daylight of the 24th, 
General Sherman by 11 A.M. had crossed three divisions of 
tlie Fifteenth Corps, and was ready to advance as soon as 
Davis's division, Fourteentli Corps, commenced crossino;. Col- 
onel Long, commanding Second Brigade, Second Division 
Cavalry, was then directed to move up at once, follow Sher- 
man's advance closely, and proceed to carry out his instruc- 
tions of the day before, if not required by General Sherman 
to support his left flank. Howard's corps moved to the left 
about 9 A.M., and communicated with Sherman's troops about 
noon. Instructions were sent to General Hooker to be ready 
to advance on the morning of the 25th from his position on 
the point of Lookout Mountain to the Summertown road, 
and endeavor to intercept the enemy's retreat, if he had not 
ah'eady withdrawn, which he was to ascertain by pushing a 
reconnoissance to the top of the mountain. 

"The reconnoissance was made as directed, and having dis- 
covered that the enemy had evacuated during the night. 
General Hooker was then directed to move on the Rossville 
road with the troops under his command against Rossville, 
carry that pass, and operate upon the left and rear of the 
enemy's position on Mission Ridge. Palmer's and Granger's 
troops were held in readiness to advance directly on the rifle- 
pits in their front as soon as Hooker could get into position 
at Rossville. In retiring, on the night of the 24th, the enemy 
had destroyed the bridges over Chattanooga Creek, on the 
road leading from Lookout Mountain to Rossville, and, in 
consequence. General Hooker was delayed until after 2 o'clock 
P.M. in effecting the crossing of Chattanooga Creek. About 
noon. General Sherman becoming heavily engaged with the 
enemy, they having massed a strong force in his front, orders 
were given for General Baird to march his division within 



128 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

supporting distance of General Sherman. Moving his com- 
mand promptly in the direction indicated, he was placed in 
position to the left of Wood's division of Granger's corps. 
Owing to the difficulties of the ground, his troops did not get 
in line with Granger's until about 2.30 p.m. ; orders were 
then given him to move forward on Granger's left, and within 
supporting distance, against the enemy's rifle-pits on the slope 
and at the foot of Missionary Ridge. The whole line then 
advanced against thie breastworks and soon became warmly 
engaged with the enemy's skirmishers. These, giving way, 
retired upon their reserves, posted Avithin their works, our 
troops advancing steadily in a continuous line. The enemy, 
seized with panic, abandoned the works at the foot of the hill 
and retreated precipitately to the crest, where they were closely 
followed by our troops, who, apparently inspired by the im- 
pulse of victory, carried the hill simultaneously at six differ- 
ent points, and so closely upon the heels of the enemy that 
many of them were taken prisoners in the trenches. 

" We captured all their cannon and ammunition before 
they could be removed or destroyed. After halting for a few 
moments to reorganize the troojis, who had become some- 
what scattered in the assault of the hill, General Sheridan 
pushed forward in pursuit, and drove those in his front who 
escaped capture across Chickamauga Creek. Generals Wood 
and Baird, being obstinately resisted by reinforcements from 
the enemy's extreme right, continued fighting until darkness 
set in, slowly but steadily driving the enemy before them. 

" In moving upon E-ossville, General Hooker encountered 
Stewart's division and other troops. Finding his left flank 
threatened, Stewart attempted to escape by retreating towards 
Graysville, but some of his forces, finding their retreat from 
tliat quarter threatened, retired in disorder towards their right 
along the crest of the ridge, where they were met by another 



OFFICIAL REPORT OF GENERAL THOMAS 129 

portion of General Hooker's command, and were driven by 
these troops in the face of Johnson's division of Palmer's 
corps, by whom tiiey were nearly all made prisoners. 

"On the 26th the enemy were pursued by Hooker and 
Johnson's divisions of Palmer's corps, surprising a portion of 
their rear-guard near Graysville after nightfall, capturing three 
])ieces of artillery and several hundred prisoners. General 
Granger's coran^and returned to Chattanooga, with instruc- 
tions to prepare and hold themselves in readiness for orders 
to reinforce General Burnside at Knoxville. 

"The pursuit was continued on the 27th, capturing an 
additional piece of artillery at Graysville. Hooker's advance 
encountered the enemy posted in the pass through Taylor's 
Ridge, at Ringgold, who, after obstinate resistance of an hour, 
were driven from the pass, with considerable loss in killed, 
wounded, and prisoners. Our loss was also heavy. A large 
quantity of forage and some additional caissons and ammu- 
nition were captured at Ringgold. 

" Colonel Long returned to Chattanooga from his expedition 
and reported, verbally, that on the 24th he reached Tyner's 
Station, destroying the enemy's forage and rations at that 
place; also some cars, doing considerable injury to the rail- 
road. He then proceeded to Ottowah, where he captured 
and destroyed some wagons loaded with forage ; from thence 
he proceeded to Cleveland, remaining there one day, destroyed 
their copper-rolling mill and a large depot of commissary and 
ordnance stores. Being informed that a train of the enemy's 
wagons was near Charleston, on the Hiawassee, and was 
probably unable to cross the river on account of the break 
in their pontoon-bridge, after a few hours' rest he pushed 
forward, with a hope of being able to destroy them, but found 
on reaching Charleston that the enemy had repaired their 
bridge and had crossed their train safely, and were prepared 

9 



130 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

to defend the crossing with one or two pieces of artillery, 
supported by an infantry force, on the northern bank. He 
then returned to Cleveland and damaged the railroad for five 
or six miles in the direction of Dalton, and then returned to 
Chattanooga. 

''On the 28th General Hooker was ordered by General 
Grant to remain at Ringgold until the 30th, and so employ 
his troops as to cover the movements of General Sherman, 
who had received orders to march his force to the relief of 
Burnside, by way of Cleveland and Loudon. Palmer's corps 
M^as detached from the force under General Hooker and re- 
turned to Chattanooga. 

" It will be perceived from the foregoing re})ort that the 
original plan of operations was somewhat modified, to meet 
and take the best advantage of emergencies which necessi- 
tated material modifications of that plan. It is believed, 
however, that the original plan, had it been carried out, could 
not possibly have led to more successful results. The alacrity 
and intelligence displayed by officers in executing their orders, 
the enthusiasm and spirit displayed by the men who did the 
work, cannot be too highly appreciated by the nation, for the 
defence of which they have on so many other memorable oc- 
casions nobly and patriotically exposed their lives in battle. 

" Howard's (Eleventh) Corps having joined Sherman on 
the 24th, his operations from that date will be included in 
Sherman's report. Also those of Brigadier-General J. C. 
Davis, Second Division, Fourteenth Corps, who reported to 
Sherman for duty on the 21st. 

" I am, general, very respectfully your obedient servant, 

" Geo. H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding. 
" Brigadier-General L. Thomas, 

" Adjutant-General U.S.A., Washington, D. C." 



INCIDENTS OF THE BATTLE. 131 

To any one who participated in this battle it was evident 
that General Bragg, the Confederate commander, concen- 
trated the greater portion of his army against General Sher- 
man on the Federal left, thinking that his was the main 
attack, and that no effort would be made to carry the works 
in Thomas's front. This action on the part of Bragg was 
just what General Grant desired, as it enabled him to storm 
the heights at all points. Had the rifle-pits on the crest of 
the hill been well filled, supported as they were by batteries 
so arranged as to have a direct and a cross-fire upon Thomas's 
advancing columns, it would have been almost impossible for 
any body of troops to have breasted the storm of lead and 
iron which could have been brought to bear upon them. 
When the Confederate commander in an unguarded moment 
weakened his line in front of Thomas, the latter took imme- 
diate advantage of it, and thus was the summit reached, not, 
however, without serious loss on the Union side. 

On reaching the crest of the ridge the lines were formed 
and Thomas rode in front, and as he passed each regiment 
cheer after cheer was sent up in honor of the grand old chief- 
tain. To one regiment he remarked that the men had made 
a fine race up the hill, and one of the soldiers, who had felt 
the want of food for weeks, cried out, "Yes, general, you 
have been training us for this race for several weeks." At 
that moment, looking around, he observed a steamboat puff- 
ing and snorting up the river, and he replied, "That is so; 
but there comes full rations, and in future the Army of the 
Cumberland shall have full rations." 

The defeat of the enemy and his immediate withdrawal 



132 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

opened up Chattanooga, and the trooj)s which had been 
cooped up were enabled to extend their lines, and once more 
felt themselves masters of the situation. Lookout and Mis- 
sion Ridge were in the possession of the Federal army, and 
there had been wiped away every stain of defeat from the 
shredded and riven banners, and the cloud-capped brows of 
the mountains had been crested with a halo of triumph. The 
Army of the Cumberland, under its able leader, had per- 
formed a very important part in the battles culminating 
in the overthrow of Bragg and his well-disciplined army. 
Thomas was proud of his command, and the members of it 
idolized their great commander. Ordinarily modest and un- 
assuming, in battle he was grand. Wherever the leaden 
messengers of death flew the thickest there Thomas could 
always be found. He was without fear, and, in fact, often 
exposed himself unnecessarily in his great desire to do his 
whole duty. 

Mr. W. F. G. Shanks, from whose book quotations have 
been previously made, says, " General Thomas is the purest 
man I met in the army. He was the Bayard of our army, — 
' sans peur, sans reproche,' — and I have endeavored in vain 
to find a flaw in his character. His character is free from 
every stain, and he stands forth in the army as above sus- 
picion. He has gone through the war without apparently 
exciting the jealousy of a single officer. He has so regulated 
his advancement, so retarded, in fact, his promotion, that 
wlien, as the climax to two years' hard service, he fought a 
great battle and saved a great army, and was hailed and 
recognized by the whole country as a hero, not one jealous 



HONORS HEAPED UPON HIM. 133 

or defeated officer was found to utter dissent to this popular 
verdict." 

The above is strictly true. No officer, either of the regular 
or volunteer army, ever felt that Thomas owed his advance- 
ment to the hard and dangerous work of others. It is true 
tliat he was enabled by the courage and devotion of those 
under him to carry his j)lans to a successful issue, and these 
successes passed to his credit and made him a hero, yet there 
was not a single officer that ever thought him unworthy of 
the many honors heaped upon him by the Congress of the 
United States and by the American people. His promotions 
were due to his skill, ability, and loyal devotion to duty, 
which ever characterized him in the various grades through 
which he passed, and each was fought for and won in the 
great battle movements of the war. It has been said that 
he was slow, and that he gained the familiar cognomen of 
" Slow Trot" in consequence thereof. I think that his tardi- 
ness was due to the fact that he always calculated the chances 
of success and defeat, and was unwilling to risk the latter 
unless he was satisfied that the chances of success were 
reasonably certain. True it is that he never lost a battle, 
and his victories were real, on battle-fields, and not on i)aper 
alone. General Grant once remarked that in the reports of 
a certain distinguished general of battles fought two things 
could be relied on as correct without question, namely, time 
and place. Such a remark could not be applied to Thomas, 
as his reports were truthful at all times, and the only com- 
plaints ever heard came from' officers under him to the effect 
that his innate modesty and love of truth compelled him to 



134 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

fall a little short of the facts rather than embrace them all in 
their length and breadth, for fear that it might look like 
boasting of his own exploits or those of the troops he gov- 
erned and directed. At the close of the war many new 
regiments were organized for the regular service, and these 
regiments were to be officered by those who had distinguished 
themselves during the war. Each army commander made a 
number of recommendations and pushed their claims before 
the authorities at Washington, securing advancement and 
promotion for those who served under them, but Thomas 
contented himself with furnishing the list, believing that 
each case would be decided on its merits. When the an- 
nouncements were made and he discovered that injustice had 
been done to piany of those who had served long and faith- 
fully under him, he was displeased, but his soldierly training 
made him scorn the idea of a protest or remonstrance. An 
officer who had distinguished himself in many battles under 
the general's eye spoke to him of the humiliation he experi- 
enced in being overlooked and left to return to his old place 
in the regular army. Thomas remarked, " I have taken 
great ])ains to educate myself not to feel." 

Such was his character in life. He always did the very 
best he could, and let the consequences take care of them- 
selves. In his entire military life he was never known to 
ask any favors for himself or to shrink from any resj)onsi- 
bility on his own account. 

After the battle of Missionary Ridge, Thomas pursued the 
fleeing enemy, with Palmer's corps and other troops, to 
Ringgold, returning in a short time to Chattanooga. Hav- 



GENERAL ORDERS ISSUED. 135 

ing completed his selections for the department staif, the 
following general orders were issued : 

"Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
" Chattanooga, Tenn., Jan. 9, 18G4. 

"General Orders No. 9. 

" The following-named officers are announced as composing 
the general staff of this de|)artment : 

" Brigadier-General William D. Whippple, U.S. V., As- 
sistant Adjutant-General and Chief of Staif. 

"Major William McMichael, U.S.V., Assistant Adjutant- 
General. 

"Brigadier-General J. M. Brannan, U.S.A^., Chief of Ar- 
tillery. 

" Brigadier-General W. L. Elliott, U.S.Y., Chief of Cav- 
alry. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel L. C. Easton, Q.M.U.S.A., Chief 
Quartermaster. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel A. P. Porter, Com. U.S.A., Chief 
Commissary of Subsistence. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur C. Ducat, U.S.V., Assistant 
Inspector-General. 

"Lieutenant-Colonel William M. Wiles, Twenty-second 
Ind. Vol. Inf., Provost-Marshal-General. 

" Surgeon G. Perin, U.S.A., Medical Director. 

" Major Oscar A. Mack, Aide-de-Camp. 

" Major Ralston Skinner, U.S.V., Judge- Advocate. 

" Captain T. G. Baylor, Ordnance Dept. U.S.A., Chief of 
Ordnance. 

" Captain William E. Merrill, Engineers U.S.A., Topo- 
graphical Engineer. 

" Captain John P. Willard, U.S.V., Aide-de-Camp. 

" Captain S. C. Kellogg, U.S.V., Aide-de-Camp. 



13G MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"Captain Jesse Merrill, Signal-Officer U.S.A., Chief of 
Signal Corps. 

"Captain John H. Young, Fifteenth U. S. Inf., Commis- 
sary of Masters. 

" First Lieutenant Henry M. Cist, Seventy-fourth Ohio 
Vol. Inf., Acting Assistant Adjutant-General. 

'' First Lieutenant William L. Porter, Fifty-sixth Oliio 
Vol. Inf., Acting Aide-de-Camp. 

" First Lieutenant James K. Reynolds, Sixth Ohio Vol. 
Inf., Acting Aide-de-Camp. 

" First Lieutenant M. J. Kelly, Fourth U. S. Cav., Chief of 
Couriers. 

"By command of 

" Major-General Geo. H. Thomas. 

" Wm. D. Whipple, Assistant Adjutant-General." 

In the month of February, 1864, General Thomas thought 
it advisable to make a demonstration in force against Rocky 
Face Ridge and Buzzard Roost, behind which the enemy was 
known to be fortified. Buzzard Roost Gap seemed to be the 
gateway to Dalton. The enemy's outposts were driven in, 
and Thomas got near enough to the gap to see that it was too 
strongly fortified to force his way through it. Standing on 
the railroad-track, with field-glass in hand, he surveyed the 
enemy's works. A sharpshooter observing him aimed and 
fired, the ball passing to the right ; again he loaded and fired, 
the ball passing to the left. Thomas coolly put up his glass 
and remarked that the next time he would })robably hit him, 
and retired to another place. On the return of the recon- 
noitring force it was a well-established fact that Dalton could 
be taken only by a movement through Snake Creek Gap, a 



BATTLE AT D ALTON. 137 

pass in the mountain nearly opposite Resaca. General Sher- 
man, when his arrangements were made for a forward move- 
ment, ordered MePherson's corps through that pass, thence 
to Resaca, destroying the bridge, and thus effectually cutting 
off the Confederates from a retreat by rail. McPherson 
obeyed, but found himself confronted by a force so large that 
he could not carry out General Sherman's instructions, and he 
was compelled to send for additional troops. But when they 
reached the gap and got within cannon-range of Resaca, 
Johnston had fallen back from Dalton and confronted our 
army, disputing its entrance into that village. Thomas 
formed his line on MePherson's left, and Schofield formed 
on Thomas's left. Howard moved through Dalton and 
pressed on to Pesaca in close pursuit of Johnston's retreat- 
ing columns. A heavy battle ensued during the afternoon 
and evening of the loth. The enemy retreated south across 
the Oostanaula during the night, and the next morning the 
whole army started in pursuit, General Thomas's command 
in advance. Davis's division of Palmer's corps was sent to 
Rome, which he captured, driving out of the town quite a 
large force of cavalry and infimtry. 

At Adairsville Newton's division had a sharp conflict with 
the rear-guard, but next morning the enemy was gone. The 
pursuit was continued, passing through Kingston, and at a 
point four miles beyond found the enemy in force, but on 
the approach of the Federal army he again fell back to Cass- 
ville, obstinately contesting the ground he was forced to 
yield. At this point Johnston formed his line of battle and 
constructed temporary works, apparently intending to offer 



138 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

battle. Had one been fought it would have been one of the 
most beautiful battle-fields of the war. The grounds were 
level, and few obstructions presented themselves to the active 
movement of troops. General Sherman anticipated a battle 
at or near this place, and made his arrangements accordingly; 
l)ut when the silver-gray of the morning gradually changed 
to gold and flooded the field with its soft, mellow light, it 
revealed the fact that the enemy had fallen back during the 
night across the Etowah River and occupied Allatoona Pass. 
General Sherman, svho had evinced a longing desire to measure 
steel with his antagonist, who had avoided a collision, resolved 
upon trying strategy to see if he could not get the enemy so 
hemmed in that he would have to fight in order to extricate 
himself from the meshes thrown around him. To this end 
Sherman cut loose from the railroad and moved, with twenty 
days' rations, in the direction of Dallas. On the 25th Hooker 
fought a hard battle to gain a place known as New Hope 
Church, situated on a muddy, sluggish stream known as 
Pumpkin-Vine Creek. This point was of importance, as 
quite a number of neighboring roads centred there. Hooker 
drove the enemy from his position, but, night setting in, he 
did not gain possession of the roads. On the following morn- 
ing the enemy was well intrenched. McPherson moved to 
Dallas, Thomas deployed against New Hope Church, and 
Schofield moved so as to turn the enemy's right flank. This 
closed the operations for May, which Thomas summarized as 
follows : 



OPERATIONS OF THE COMMAND. 139 

" Headquarters Army of the Cumberland, 
" In the Field, near Dallas, Georgia, June 5, 18G4. 

" Colonel, — I have the honor to report the operations of 
my command for the month of May, as follows : 

" In obedience to instrnctions from the major-general com- 
manding the military division, I got my command in readi- 
ness for a forward movement on Dalton, Georgia, and was 
fully prejmred to move on the 2d of May as directed. Major- 
General Hooker, commanding Twentieth Army Corps, was 
directed to move from Lookout Valley tjia Lee's and Gordon's 
Mills, on East Chickamauga Creek, to Leet's farm, on the road 
leading from the mill to Nickojack Gap, the movement to 
commence on the 2d. Major-General Palmer, commanding 
the Fourteenth Corps, was to concentrate his command at 
Ringgold, Georgia, and Major-General Howard, commanding 
Fourth Army Corps, was to move from Cleveland, East Ten- 
nessee, on the 3d, and to concentrate his command in the 
vicinity of Catoosa Springs, about three miles east of Ring- 
gold ; McCook's division of cavalry to move on Howard's left. 
Kilpatrick's division of cavalry was stationed at Ringgold, 
picketing towards Tunnel Hill and patrolling on Palmer's 
right flank. Garrard's division was detached and operating 
under instructions from ]\Iajor-General McPherson, com- 
manding the Army of the Tennessee. The army got into 
position by the 5th, and stood as above, direct communication 
having been fully established from the right to the left of the 
whole command. 

" According to instructions given on the 6th, the army 
moved on Tunnel Hill at daylight on the 7th in three columns: 
Palmer's corps on the direct road from Ringgold, Howard's via 
Lee's house, and Hooker's via Nickojack Gap and Trickum. 
The enemy made some show of resistance in Palmer's front, 
but evacuated Tunnel Hill on the appearance of Howard's 



140 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

column on his flank, and fled towards Buzzard's Roost, our 
troops occupying Tunnel Hill ridge. Palmer's command was 
then moved forward and took position on HoAvard's right, 
along the ridge, and both corps remained there for the night. 
Hooker's column reached Trickum Post-office about 4 p.m., 
and camped for the night, picketing strongly the roads leading 
from Buzzard's Roost and Dalton, as Avell as the approaches 
from the direction of Villanow. General Kilpatrick's divi- 
sion of cavalry took post at or near Gordon's Springs, to be 
in readiness to establish communication with the Army of the 
Tennessee, which was expected at Villanow on the morning of 
the 8th. Harker's brigade of Newton's division, Howard's 
corps, was pushed along the crest of Rocky Face Ridge to 
within half a mile of the rebel signal-station. Thei'e it came 
upon obstructions of too formidable a character to admit of 
further progress except with very severe loss. It w^as in- 
structed to hold the position. Wood's division of Fourth 
Corps, Davis's division of the Fourteenth Corps, and Butter- 
field's division of the Twentieth Corps then pushed forward 
a line of skirmishers and drove the enemy to his intrench- 
ments, our men occupying the mouth of Buzzard's Roost. 
Geary's division of the Twentietli Corps made a reconnois- 
sance well up the side of Chattoogata Mountain, a high and 
precipitous ridge running due south from Buzzard's Roost. 
Geary's men fought their way well up to the enemy's intrench- 
ments on the crest, but with considerable loss and without 
being able to gain possession of JNIill Gap. The troops were 
then withdrawn to a position in the valley out of reach of 
the enemy's guns. Kilpatrick communicated with General 
McPherson's command at Villanow, and then returned to 
Trickum. Brigadier-General Ed McCook was ordered to 
concentrate his cavalry division and take post on the left of 
General Schofield until General Stoneman's cavalry could 





J S LIPPmCOTT & CO PHI LAD A 



OPERATIONS OF THE COMMAND. 141 

arrive and relieve him. From a prisoner captured at Buz- 
zard's Roost we learned that the force defending the passage 
of the gap amounted to 11,000 men, comprising Stewart's and 
Bates's divisions, supported by Hindman's and Stevenson's 
divisions, numbering 10,000 more. They had considerable 
artillery, but none heavier than 10-pound calibre. The 
enemy was fortifying all night of the 7th, and had masked 
batteries at points all through the pass. Heavy skirmishing 
was kept up along the whole line during the 9tli and 10th, 
with considerable loss in wounded and but few killed. Gen- 
eral Hooker was directed on the 10th to send one division of 
his command to the support of General McPherson at Snake 
Creek Gap, to enable the latter to operate more fteely from 
danger to his rear. Kilpatrick's cavalry was also ordered to 
report to General McPherson. McCook's division of cavalry, 
posted on the left of General Schofield's command, had a 
heavy skirmish with three brigades of the enemy's cavalry, 
on the road leading to Varnell Station, resulting in our driv- 
ing the rebels to their intrenchments on Poplar Creek Hill, 
where they opened on McCook's troops with two pieces of 
artillery. Oar loss was 136 men and 15 officers killed, 
wounded, and missing ; among the latter Colonel Lagrange, 
of the First Wisconsin, who was captured. The enemy's loss 
was greater than ours. General Hooker was directed to send 
another division of his command to Snake Creek Gap, with 
instructions to repair the road through the gap, so as to facili- 
tate the passage of infantry and wagons. On the 11th it was 
decided to leave one corps, Howard's, supported by Stone- 
man's and McCook's divisions of cavalry, and move to Snake 
Creek Gap with the balance of the army, attacking the enemy 
in force from that quarter, whilst Howard was keeping up 
the impression of a direct attack on Buzzard's Roost. This 
movement was to commence on the 12th. Instructions were 



142 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

given to corps commanders to provide their commands with 
ten days' rations and a good supply of ammunition, sending 
all surplus wagons back to Ringgold. At 9 A.M. on the 13th 
General Howard's command occupied Dalton, it having been 
evacuated by the enemy on the evening of the 12th. Con- 
centrating his troops in Dalton, General Howard pursued the 
enemy along the railroad in the direction of Resaca, capturing 
a considerable number of prisoners. The concentration of the 
balance of the army in Snake Creek Gap having been com- 
pleted by the night of the 12th, at 8 a.m. on the 13th 
Hooker's corps, preceded by Kilpatrick's cavalry, moved out 
on the Resaca road, in support of McPherson's troops, 
threatening Resaca. Palmer's corps moved out of Snake 
Creek Gap two miles northeast of Hooker, and then took a 
course parallel with the Resaca road, with orders to proceed 
as far as the railroad. On reaching the neighborhood of the 
railroad his skirmishers encountered those of the enemy 
strongly posted on the hills immediately west of the rail- 
road, and continued a fierce skirmish with them until night- 
fall. Butterfield's division of Hooker's corps moved up in 
support of Palmer's right. About noon of the 14th Schofield's 
and Palmer's corps attacked the enemy's position on the hills 
bordering the railroad, meeting with very heavy resistance. 
General Schofield's left being threatened, and he having called 
on me for support, I directed Newton's division of Howard's 
corps, which had just arrived, to move to Schofield's assist- 
ance, and subsequently the whole of Howard's corps took 
post on the left of Schofield. During the afternoon Hooker's 
corps, which had been acting as sujiport to General INIcPherson, 
was shifted to the left of Howard's command ; and Williams's 
division reached the position assigned him just in time to 
meet and repel a fierce attack of the enemy, who was en- 
deavorino; to turn Howard's left flank. McCook's division 



PURSUIT OF JOHNSTON. 143 

of cavalry took post on the left of Hooker, to guard against 
any further attempt of the enemy in that direction. The 
fighting in Schofield's and Howard's front was very severe, 
but we drove the enemy from the hills he had occupied and 
forced him into his intrenchments beyond. From prisoners 
captured we learned that Johnston's entire army was con- 
fronting us. 

"At daylight on the morning of the 15th our lines stood 
nearly as follows : Palmer's corps on the right, connecting 
with the left of McPherson's line, then Schofield's and How- 
ard's and Hooker's, with McCook's cavalry on our extreme left. 
Orders were issued during the night of the 14th for the whole 
line to advance at daylight on the 15th, provision being made 
for the retirement of Schofield's troops from the position they 
then occupied, and directions having been given them to take 
post on the left, where they properly belonged, as soon as 
crowded out from the centre of my line by the advance of 
Palmer and Howard. About 11 a.m. General Butterfield's 
division of Hooker's corps, supported by Williams's and 
Geary's of the same command, attacked and carried a series 
of hills strongly occupied by the enemy on the east of the 
road leading from Tilton to Resaca. The rebels were driven 
for nearly a mile and a half, our forces capturing four guns 
and a number of prisoners. 

" Information was received by daylight on the 16th that 
Johnston had evacuated Resaca, and directions were imme- 
diately given for the whole army to start in pursuit. Our 
troops occupied the town about 9 a.m., and commenced re- 
pairing the bridge over the Ostanaula, which had been par- 
tially burned by the enemy. A pontoon-bridge was also 
thrown across, above the railroad-bridge, so that by night 
Howard's corps had got across and marched on Calhoun. 
Hooker's command crossed the Conasauga at Figlet's Ferry, 



144 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

and at a ford in its vicinity, tlience marching south, across the 
Coosawattie, towards Adairsville. Palmer's command was to 
follow after Howard's, except Davis's division, which was 
detached and sent towards Rome, to the support of Garrard's 
cavalry, then acting under special instructions from the major- 
general commanding the military division. 

"On the 17th our advance skirmished with the enemy 
nearly the whole distance from Calhoun to within two miles of 
Adairsville, when a fierce skirmish ensued, completely check- 
ing our further progress, and occasioning considerable loss in 
M'ounded. Information was brought in about dark that the 
whole of Johnston's army was at Adairsville. The column 
was again set in motion on the morning of the 18th, the 
enemy having left during the night. Howard's and Palmer's 
commands moved on the direct road and along the railroad 
towards Kingston, camping at a point three miles north of 
the latter place. Hooker's corps moved on a road running 
southeast from Adairsville, his instructions being to proceed 
as far as Cassville, and there await further orders. General 
Davis's division of the Fourteenth Corps occupied Rome, 
capturing a large amount of commissary and quartermaster 
stores, hospital supplies, and all sorts of ammunition, enough 
to supply his command for two weeks. The enemy tried to 
destroy the valuable iron-works at this place, but failed to do 
much injury. Howard's troops entered Kingston about 8 a.m. 
on the 19th, skirmishing with the enemy on the southeastern 
side of the town. The column started again at about 10 a.m., 
and came up with what was reported to be Cheatham's and 
another division, in line of battle, on a hill about half-way 
betweeen Kingston and Cassville. Howard's troops shelled 
the enemy from this position, pushing on after him to within 
two miles of Cassville, skirmishing with his rear-guard until 
dark, when the command halted for the night. Baird's di- 



HOOKER'S TROOPS ENGAGED. 145 

vision of Palmer's corps was posted on the right of Howard's 
corps. Hooker's troops engaged the enemy on the road lead- 
ing direct from Adairsville to Cassville, skirmishing with 
him, and driving him into his works at the latter place. 

"At 10 P.M. General Howard reported the town in pos- 
session of his troops. A deserter came into our lines witli the 
information that Johnston received a reinforcement of 6000 
men on the 19th, and that his army was now estimated at 
70,000 strong. By direction of the major-general command- 
ing the military division, the whole command rested until the 
morning of the 23d. In the mean time, the railroad having 
been placed in running order as far as Cassville depot, twenty 
days' rations and forage were issued to the troops. Resaca 
was directed to be strongly held and made a de}x>t of sup- 
plies, only such stores and provisions to be brought forward 
to Kingston and Rome as could be moved by the wagons 
present with the army. My directions were to move my army 
at daylight on the morning of the 23d on Dallas, by Euharley 
and Stilesboro'. The division of Brigadier-General Jeff. C. 
Davis, at Rome, as soon as relieved by troops from General 
McPherson's army, to march direct on Dallas by way of 
Van Wert. The advance-guard of McCook's division of 
cavalry reached Stilesboro' on the afternoon of the 28d, and 
found the place occupied by a strong force of the enemy's 
cavalry, supported by infantry, which resisted his further 
advance, skirmishing with him until dark. The commands 
of Major-Generals Hooker, Howard, and Palmer camped on 
the south side of Euharley Creek, in accordance with my 
directions. General Hooker was directed to send one division 
of his command, at daylight on the 24th, to push the enemy 
across Raccoon Creek towards Allatoona, on the Alabama road, 
and hold him in that position until relieved by the Army 
of the Ohio, covering the movements of the balance of the 

10 



146 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Twentieth Corps directly through Stilesboro' upon Burnt 
Hickory, at \vhich hitter place his whole command was to 
encamp. McCook's division of cavalry was to pret'ede the 
Twentieth Corps in the movement upon Burnt Hickory, and 
then take up a position towards Allatoona, picketing the roads 
strongly, and covering the mov^ementsof the army. TheFourth 
Corps followed the Twentieth Corps, camping oil its right, and 
the Fourteenth Corps, not being able to reach Burnt Hickory, 
on account of the crowded state of the roads and the difficult 
nature of the ground passed over, camped at a point on Alla- 
toona Ridge, about half-way between Stilesboro' and Burnt 
Hickory. McCook reached Burnt Hickory about 2 p.m., after 
skirmishing with the enemy about four miles. He captured 
a rebel courier bearing a despatch to the rebel General Jack- 
son, commanding a division of cavalry, with instructions from 
General Johnston to observe our movements towards Burnt 
Hickory, and stating that Johnston was moving in the direc- 
tion of Dallas and Powder Springs. General Garrard, com- 
manding Second Cavalry Division, informed me that he was 
camped on Pumpkin-Vine Creek, about three miles from 
Dallas, and that in moving on that place, and when within a 
quarter of a mile from it, he was attacked by Avhat was re- 
ported by prisoners to be Bates's division, the advance of 
Hardee's corps. Garrard repulsed this force and drove it 
back towards Dallas. 

" On the 25th the First Division of cavalry (McCook's) 
moved on the road leading to Golgotha, preceding Butter- 
field's division of the Twentieth Corps. The balance of 
General Hooker's command advanced on the road leading to 
Dallas, running south of the one used by Butterfield's divi- 
sion. Howard's cor]:)S followed Hooker's, and in rear of 
Howard, Palmer's. About 11 a.m. General Geary's divi- 
sion of the Twentieth Corps, being in advance, came upon 



DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS. 147 

the enemy in considerable force at a point about four and a 
half miles from Dallas. The country on both sides of the 
road being thickly wooded and covered with undergrowth, 
Geary skirmished heavily with the enemy, slowly driving 
him until Butterfield's and Williams's divisions came up and 
relieved Geary's troops. Soon after the arrival of Williams, 
about 3 P.M., the column was again put in motion, Williams's 
division in advance, and, although heavily engaged, drove 
the enemy steadily before it into his intrenchments. Our 
loss was heavy, but it is believed that the loss of the enemy 
Avas much greater. Shortly after 3 p.m. the head of Howard's 
column got within supporting distance of Hooker's corps, and 
Newton's division was placed in position on Hooker's left 
about 6 P.M., and by morning the whole of Howard's corps 
was in position on the left of Hooker. The roads were so 
full of wagons that Palmer's corps could not get into position 
by the night of the 25th, but on the morning of the 26th 
Johnson's division of the Fourteenth Corps was moved up 
to within a short distance of Hooker's and Howard's com- 
mands, and Avas posted in reserve. Davis's division, Four- 
teenth Corps (which had reported back to its command, it 
having been relieved at Rome by troops from the Army of 
Tennessee), was sent by General Palmer to move on Dallas 
by the most direct road from where he then was, to support 
General McPherson's command, and communicate with the 
right of General Hooker. Baird's division of the Four- 
teenth Corps was left at Burnt Hickory to protect the trains 
at that point and the rear of the army. McCook's division 
of cavalry met the enemy's cavalry on the road leading from 
Burnt Hickory to Marietta, near its intersection with the lower 
Dallas and Allatoona road. McCook's troops skirmished 
heavily with the force opposing them, inflicting on them con- 
siderable loss and capturing fifty-two prisoners, from whom 



148 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

it was ascertained that the whole of Wheeler's cavalry was 
posted on the right of the rebel army. The left of General 
Howard's corps was swung around to the right, occupying 
a line of hills running nearly perpendicularly to the line 
occupied by Hooker on the 25th, thereby threatening the 
enemy's right. The Twenty-third Army Corps, Major-Gen- 
eral Schofield commanding, was posted on the left of my 
command, Schofield's left extending to and covering the road 
leading from AUatoona to Dallas via New Hope Church. 
There was light skirmishing all day whilst Howard and 
Schofield were working into position, and at dark on the 
26th Howard's left connected with Schofield's right. In the 
mean time trains were brought up and rations and ammuni- 
tion issued where practicable. Strong breastworks were 
thrown up all along the line, the men working cheerfully, 
and prepared to resist any attack the enemy might see fit to 
make. 

"On the 27th, in accordance with instructions given by 
the major-general commanding the military division, Hooker's 
and Howard's corps pressed the enemy, supported by con- 
siderable artillery firing. Wood's division of Howard's 
corps, supported by Johnson's division of Palmer's corps, 
was moved to the left of Schofield's line and swung round 
towards the right, attacking the enemy's right flank and 
driving him to his rifle-pits, with considerable loss, however, 
to our troops. Our men had to contend with an almost 
hidden foe, the ground being cut up into ravines and covered 
by a dense forest filled with undergrowth ; but, notwithstand- 
ing all the difficulties of the country, officers and men did 
their work nobly, and having secured a position, were not to 
be moved from it. The enemy came out of his works in 
front of Newton's division of Howard's corjis, attacking 
Wagner's and Kimball's brigades, but was driven back after 



STRENGTH OF THE ENEMY. 149 

a short and warm contest. General Davis occupied Dallas 
with his division on the afternoon of the 27th, skirmishing 
with the enemy and driving him as far as he could without 
losing his connection with General McPherson. Davis re- 
ported that, after skirmishing all the afternoon, he developed 
the enemy in force and strongly posted in front of his (Davis's) 
left, with a battery in position on a hill commanding the road 
between him and General Hooker. Davis had, however, cut 
a road through the forest to his rear, by which he could com- 
municate safely with Hooker. During the night of the 27th 
the enemy attacked Davis, and was repulsed after a sharp 
fight, leaving behind him a few wounded and twenty-seven 
prisoners, belonging mostly to Polk's corps. By this time 
it had been ascertained beyond a doubt that Johnston had his 
whole army with him, strengthened by Polk's command and 
detachments sent from various points to reinforce him. He 
had taken up a strong position, which he was steadily 
strengthening with earthworks, evidently with the determi- 
nation to make a firm stand where he then was. 

" On the 28th our line stood as follows : Hooker's corps 
(Twentieth) on the right, with Davis's division of Palmer's 
corps still on his right, but acting as a support to the Army 
of the Tennessee ; two divisions of Howard's corps (Fourth) 
on the left of Hooker ; then the Army of the Ohio, Major- 
General Schofield commanding; Wood's division of Howard's 
corps on tiie left of Schofield's command, ^vith Johnson's 
division of Palmer's corps on the left of Wood ; Stoneman's 
division of cavalry holding a hill to the left of Johnson ; and 
then McCook's division of cavalry, holding the road leading 
from Burnt Hickory to Marietta via Golgotha, and guarding 
the left of the army. During the 28th there was consider- 
able artillery firing, with skirmishing at intervals during the 
day and night. 



150 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" Durino; the nig-ht of the 29th the enemy felt our line at 
several points, without making a serious attack at any one 
l)lace; they found our men vigilant and fully prepared for 
them. 

" Owing to the close proximity of the enemy's lines to the 
I'iuht of ours, neither McPherson nor Davis could withdraw 
iVoai their positions without being attacked and forced to re- 
turn, so that the project of using their commands to relieve 
Hooker, Howard, and Schofield, allowing these latter to take 
post on the left of the line, could not be carried out, although 
three attempts at a withdrawal were made by McPherson and 
Davis on the nights of the 29th, 30th, and 31st. In the 
mean while the position of the army remained unchanged up 
to the 31st, our skirmishers and those of the enemy exchanging 
occasional shots. 

" The detailed reports of the subordinate commanders will 
be forwarded as soon as handed in. 

" I have the honor, to forward herewith a consolidated re- 
turn of casualties for the month, as also a return of prisoners 
captured, and a list of captured property and ammunition 
expended. 

" I am, colonel, very respectfully your obedient servant, 

" Geo. H. Thomas, 
" Major-General Commanding." 

On June 1 Thomas and Schofield moved to the left, 
coverino; the roads leading back to Allatoona and Ackworth. 
The enemy occupied Pine, Lost, and Kenesaw Mountains, 
covering Marietta and the railroad back to Chattahoochie. 
General Thomas moved on Pine and Kenesaw Mountains, 
fighting the bloody battle of Kenesaw. After a short delay 
the army was again put in motion. Thomas crossed the 



REPULSE OF GENERAL HOOD. 151 

Chattahoochie at Powers's and Pace's ferries, and moved to 
Peach -Tree Creek. 

On the morning of July 20, 186-1, tlie author met Colonel 
McKay, of General Thomas's staff. He remarked that we 
would have a "big fight" before night. I asked him for his 
reasons for so believing, and he said that he had just seen an 
Atlanta paper, and in it was an announcement that General 
Joseph E. Johnston had been relieved from the command of 
the Confederate army, and that Hood had been designated as 
his successor ; and, continued McKay, " a man who will bet a 
thousand dollars without having a pair will fight when he has 
the troops to do it with." 

Sure enough, at four o'clock p.m. he sallied from his 
works in force, taking his position in line of battle on the 
right of the Federal centre, in front of Hooker's corps, New- 
ton's division of Howard's corps, and A. G. McCook's bri- 
gade of Johnson's division of Palmer's corps. As soon as 
his lines were formed, the enemy moved forward as if on 
drill, striking the Federal line with great force, precipitating 
a bloody engagement, in which Hood was repulsed. His loss 
was very heavy, and he fell back to his works and began at 
once to make arrangements for another sortie. Since the 
death of General Hood his book, " Advance and Retreat," 
has been published, and he accounts for his defeat through 
the lukewarm support of one of his corps commanders. 
General W. J. Hardee. 

At the breaking out of the war Hood was a lieutenant in 
the Second Regiment of Cavalry (now Fifth), and Hardee 
was major in the same regiment, and doubtless felt a little 



152 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

sore over the fact that Hood had risen so rapidly, and did 
not give him that cordial support to which he was in all 
fairness entitled. Hardee was ordered to attack at one 
o'clock P.M., whereas he delayed doing so until four o'clock 
P.M. This delay, in Hood's opinion, caused the defeat, but 
it is thought that the result would have been the same had 
Hardee complied with his instructions to the letter. Sher- 
man's arrangements were made, based on the army he com- 
manded, with full assurance that victory would perch upon 
his banners regardless of the time and place of Hood's 
attack. 

Thomas and Palmer were spectators, and their immediate 
presence inspired the troops to extraordinary endeavor. 
The Federal army lost heavily, particularly Hooker's corps, 
against which the heaviest masses were thrown. 

Among the severely wounded was Captain E. T. Wells, 
assistant adjutant-general on the staff of General R. W. 
Johnson, who was struck with a fragment of a shell which 
broke several of his ribs. His wound was severe, but he 
recovered, and after the war closed was appointed United 
States judge for the Territory of Colorado. It was the 
writer's good fortune to know him well, and a more gallant 
officer never drew a sword. He was one of many who was 
kept in a subordinate position when he had courage and ability 
eminently fitting him to Avear the stars with credit and honor 
to the nation. 

Major-General John M. Palmer, the commander of the 
Fourteenth Corps, succeeded to that command after the battle 
of Chickamauga, in recognition of his gallant and faithful 



MAJOR-GENERAL JOHN M. PALMER. 153 

services in that engagement. He is a native of Kentucky, 
though his family removed to Carlinsville, Illinois, when 
he was quite young. There he studied law and became a 
prominent member of the bar in that State. In the bleak, 
dark days of 1861 he entered the volunteer service as colonel 
of the Fourteenth Illinois Infantry, which he commanded 
in Fremont's expedition to Springfield. 

About the close of the year 1861 he was promoted to the 
rank of brigadier-general, and for gallant and meritorious 
services in the battle of Stone River was advanced to the 
grade of major-general. He commanded a division in the 
battle of Chickamauga, where his courage and good conduct 
attracted the attention of General Thomas, upon whose re- 
commendation he was assigned to the command of the Four- 
teenth Corps. 

Palmer was a great favorite with Thomas. His bravery 
in action, his clear head in council, made him a valuable 
corps commander, and none appreciated him more highly 
than his distinguished commander, the hero of Chickamauga, 
the commander of the Army of the Cumberland. At the 
close of the war he returned to his adopted State, and was 
elected governor by an overwhelming majority. 

He has been spoken of very favorably as a candidate for 
the Presidency of the United States, and, if he should ever 
reach that exalted position, the people of the country can 
boast of having an honest, clear-headed man to control their 
affairs so long as he holds in his hands the reins of govern- 
ment. 



CHAPTER YII. 

Closing in around Atlanta — Hood offers Battle on 20th, 22d, and 
28th Days of July — Death of McPherson — Howard succeeds Him 
— Atlanta captured — Thomas's Report of Operations preceding 
Battle, etc. 

After the battle of tlie 20th Sherman ordered the closing 
in of his entire line in semicircular form around Atlanta, 
and distant therefrom about two miles. Hood, who had 
issued ammunition, was again ready for another contest, and 
as he had succeeded Johnston because the latter would not 
offer battle often enough, he resolved upon fighting as long 
as he exercised command of the Army of the Tennessee and 
had a sufficient number of men left to make a reasonable 
resistance. Accordingly, on the 22d he sallied out, striking 
our left flank under General J. B. IMcPherson. This Avas 
one of the most terrific struggles of the war. The Federal 
lines frequently fought on both sides of their rifle-pits, and 
after a long and desperate battle the Confederates were repulsed. 
The losses on both sides were very heavy, in consequence of 
the hand-to-hand character of the engagement. Among the 
killed on the Federal side M^as General McPherson, one of 
the youngest, but one of the ablest, of Sherman's generals. 
His loss was a severe blow to the Union cause, as it was 
difficult to supply his place. Had he survived the war, few, 
if any, would have stood higher on the roll of honor. 
154 



REPULSE OF HOOD. 155 

General O. O. Howard was assigned to the command of 
the Army of the Tennessee, succeeding the lamented McPher- 
son. This assignment gave some dissatisfaction, the friends 
of General John A. Logan claiming that he was entitled to 
the command of that army by virtue of seniority and pre- 
vious services. It was a difficult and delicate matter for 
General Sherman to determine. But, while recognizing the 
great merits of General Logan, he selected Howard, and 
directed him to move his army to the right of the line. For 
several days the opposing armies rested from their labors, 
with their picket-lines in close proximity to each other, but 
by general consent there was no firing from either side, and 
occasionally quite amusing conversations were carried on, and 
propositions to exchange articles, such as tobacco for coffee, 
etc., were often made. One of our pickets called over to the 
picket in his front: "I say, Johnny, when are you going to 
fight again?" "Well, Yank, I don't know, but I suppose 
very soon, as we have about men enough left for one more 
killing." Sure enough they had, and Hood on the 28th 
moved out against the Federal right, but, owing to the change 
made in our line, he came in contact with the same troops 
that he had fought on the 22d. This splendid army seemed 
to be as fresh as ever. Hood hurled his columns against it, 
but the advance of the deafening, maddening roar of artillery 
and musketiy told plainly that Howard was advancing. 

Time and again the dauntless Hood tried to break the 
Federal line, but each time failed with heavy loss, when, 
finally becoming discouraged and disheartened, he withdrew 
his army within the line of his own defences. The feeling 



156 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

which had been engendered against Howard in consequence 
of his selection to command the Army of the Tennessee, was 
forgotten after this battle. There he was in the fore-front 
directing the details with that cool courage which character- 
ized him in every emergency, and by his skill and bravery he 
not only won the confidence and esteem of his subordinate 
commanders, but also of every soldier under his command. 

A flank movement to the rio;ht against Jonesboro' and 
Lovejoy's Station resulted in the enemy evacuating Atlanta 
and the occupation of the city by the troops under General 
Thomas. In all these movements, resulting in the above 
capture, Thomas, with his army, had performed a very 
prominent part; in fact, he had become a necessary part 
of the army, and General Sherman could not have gotten 
along very well without him, as " Old Thomas was his 
wheel-horse," upon whom he could safely rely for loyal co- 
operation under all circumstances. 

Within the three months previous to the capture of 
Atlanta the army had experienced hard service. After the 
battle of Mission Ridge only a brief breathing-spell was 
granted to Thomas and his veterans. Then, without bag- 
gage, he pushed down into the very vitals of the Confed- 
eracy, and it might be said that during those long months of 
combat that culminated in the capture of Atlanta and North- 
ern Georgia, like the Israelites of old he followed a cloud 
by day and a pillar of flame by night ; for in that time Dal- 
ton, Resaca, Kenesaw, New Hope, Peach-Tree Creek, Jones- 
boro', and all those crimson names of battle had been traced 
bloodily into the history of Thomas's devoted Army of the 



ATLANTA CAPTURED. X57 

Cumberland. Every day had the smoke-cloud of battle 
kissed the heavens, and each night had flamed and flashed 
with the lambent light of his blazing guns ; and he had fol- 
lowed that smoke-cloud and those blazing guns over a hun- 
dred fields of strife until the old flag floated in exultation 
over the great Gate City of the South. It was now that the 
loyal people of the North could see the beginning of the end 
of this fearful, this unnatural, struggle, and joy and happi- 
ness filled their hearts. 

Nearly every officer of high rank had at some time taken 
a short leave of absence to enable him to return to his 
home and see his loved ones, but Thomas never left his 
post of duty, nor had he seen any of the members of his 
family since he left them several years before to report to 
General Anderson in Kentucky. Now he began to feel that 
the war which had called away so many men from their 
homes and friends would soon terminate for the South amid 
the black ashes of overthrow and defeat. 

Yet he was destined to fight other battles, win other vic- 
tories, and crown himself with other imperishable honors. 
His career, which had been one of unbounded success, had 
to be rounded out by other campaigns and other conflicts, 
which were destined to stamp him as one of the greatest 
warriors of the age, one of the wisest and ablest commanders 
in the great war of the Rebellion. 

The following is a report of the operations of Thomas's 
command in Northern Georgia : 



158 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 

"Atlanta, Georgia, September 13, 18G4. 

" Colonel, — I have the honor to report as follows the oper- 
ations of ray command during the month of August, 1864 : 

"On the 1st instant the Army of the Cumberland was 
in position, as heretofore reported, — viz., Palmer's corps 
(Fourteenth) on the right, posted between the Turner's 
Ferry road and the Western and Atlantic Railroad, facing 
a little south of east ; Williams's corps (Twentieth) in the 
centre, extending; from the railroad around to the Buck Head 
road ; Statdey's corps (Fourth) on the left, between the Buck 
Head road and Howard's house, on roads leading from Buck 
Head and Atlanta. Stanley's left being refused so as to 
cover the Buck Head road, Garrard's division of cavalry 
took post on the left of Stanley's corps, with instructions to 
patrol the ajiproaches to the left of the army from Decatur 
and Roswell Factory; Kilpatrick's division of cavalry was 
ordered to take post on the railroad between ISIarietta and the 
bridge over the Chattahoochie. The Army of the Cumber- 
land held the left of the grand line investing Atlanta, besides 
sending two divisions (Ward's, of the Twentieth, and Davis's, 
of the Fourteenth) to the support of the troops of other 
commands operating on the extreme right of the grand army. 

" Major-General Palmer was directed on the 2d to move 
with the two remaining divisions of his corps to a position 
in reserve in rear of the Army of the Ohio, then operating 
on the extreme right towards East Point ; Brigadier-General 
Williams, commanding the Twentieth Corps, was directed to 
occupy the works vacated by the troops of General Palmer's 
command, on his right, by extending his line in that direc- 
tion ; and Ward's division was recalled from the support of 
the Army of the Ohio to enable General Williams more fully 
to carry out the above instructions. The withdrawal of 



OPERATIONS IX NORTHERN GEORGIA. 159 

Palmer's corps left me with tlie Fourth and Twentieth 
Corps to hold a line of works nearly five miles in length, 
approaching at some points to within three hundred yards 
of the enemy's fortifications. 

" On the 3d, Major-General Stanley pushed forward a strong 
line of skirmishers, and succeeded in carrying the enemy's 
])icket-line on the whole corps front, excepting on the ex- 
treme right of his line, where his men were met by a very 
destructive fire of musketry and canister. The enemy opened 
from at least twenty pieces of artillery. Our loss was about 
thirty killed and wounded, but we captured quite a number 
of prisoners, besides gaining considerable information regard- 
ing the positions of the enemy's troops and fortifications. 

"Both Stanley's and Williams's skirmishers again pressed 
those of the enemy during the afternoon of the 5th, with a 
view of diverting his attention from the movements of the 
Armies of the Tennessee and of the Ohio, on our right. 
Palmer's corps, which had been placed in position on the 
right of the Army of the Ohio by direction of Major-General 
Sherman, pushed out from along Olley's Creek, and pressed 
close up to the enemy's works, capturing a strong line of 
rifle-pits, vigorously defended. Our loss was considerable, 
but we took 150 prisoners and gained an advantageous 
position. At the close of the engagement the skirmishers of 
the enemy and our own were only thirty yards apart. Our 
main line was moved up to within four hundred yards of that 
of the enemy. On the morning of the 6th the enemy felt 
our line at various points from right to left, seemingly per- 
sistent in his efforts to find a weak point in the latter direction, 
— on the line of Stanley's corps. From information gained 
by us through various sources, more or less reliable, we 
learned the enemy had posted his militia, supported by one 
division of his veterans, on that part of his line immediately 



160 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

confronting the Fourth and Twentieth Corps, and that he used 
the balance of liis army in extending his line to the left 
towards East Point, as our movements in the same direction 
threatened his possession of the railroad. Although this 
necessitated his holding a large extent of ground, he formed 
his troops on very advantageous ridges, strengthened by 
works of a most impregnable character, rendering an assault 
on our part unjustifiable, from the useless sacrifice of life it 
would entail. While the enemy was busily engaged fortify- 
ing, our troops were not idle. Our position was also soon 
rendered impregnable to assault, and a constant shelling of 
the enemy's fortifications and the city of Atlanta was kept 
up day and night. In the mean while supplies of rations and 
clothing were being rapidly accumulated at the front, and our 
men enjoyed a season of rest, — such rest aj is to be found in 
the trenches. On the 6th, Major-General John M. Palmer 
having been relieved from the command of the Fourteenth 
Army Corps at his own request, Brigadier-General R. W. 
Johnson, the senior division commander, took command of 
the corps. 

"On the 7th, under General Johnson's direction, the corps 
advanced upon the enemy's works in his front, and, moving 
rapidly, carried the first line of rifle-pits, capturing 172 
prisoners, and driving the enemy to their main works. The 
entire line of the Fourteenth Corps was then advanced and 
fortified. Our loss during the 6th and 7th, in the Fourteenth 
Corps, was 70 killed and 413 wounded, including 17 officers. 

"Brigadier-General E. M. McCook, commanding Second 
Cavalry Division, reports as follows the result of his expedi- 
tion to cut the enemy's railroad communications to Macon 
and West Point. His instructions are specified in Special 
Field Order No. 42, of July 26, headquarters Military 
Division of the Mississippi : ' Two and a half miles of the 



OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. \Ql 

Atlanta and "West Point Railroad and telegraph-wire de- 
stroyed near Lovejoy's Station, eleven thousand wagons 
burned, two thousand mules killed or disabled, one thousand 
bales of cotton, one thousand sacks of corn, and three hundred 
sacks of flour destroyed, besides large quantities of bacon and 
tobacco/ 

" He carried out liis orders and accomplished all he was 
directed to Avithout opposition, and it was only when the com- 
mand started on its return that General McCook" ascertained 
that the enemy's cavalry was between him and McDonough, 
at which latter place he had expected to form a junction with 
General Stoneman's expedition. Finding the enemy across 
his road in that direction, and being burdened with a good 
many prisoners and considerable captured property, General 
McCook turned towards the Chattahoochie River by way of 
Newman, on the West Point Railroad, and while on his way 
to that place was attacked by Jackson's division of cavalry, 
which he repulsed. Near Newman the railroad was cut in 
three places. Between there and the river he was surrounded 
by an overwhelming force of the enemy's cavalry, supported 
by a large infantry force. These troops he attacked in the 
hope of cutting his way through them, and in doing so broke 
the whole right of their line, riding over Ross's Texas Cavalry 
Brigade, and making General Ross and his staff prisoners. 
The enemy sent fresh troops to supply the place of those 
shattered by McCook's charge, when the latter, finding he 
could not break their line permanently, directed his brigade 
commanders to cut their way out with their commands and en- 
deavor to cross the Chattahoochie by detachments. In this they 
were successful, but with the loss of their artillery; the latter, 
however, was deliberately destroyed before being abandoned. 

"All the prisoners captured by us, about four hundred in 
number, were also turned loose. General McCook's loss in 

11 



1(52 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

killed, wounded, and missing, as well as in material, is great, 
but that of the enemy is much greater proportionately, and 
is even so acknowledged by themselves. For details I have 
the honor to refer you to the report of General McCook, ac- 
companying this. 

'' About the 10th information reached me that the enemy's 
entire cavalry force was concentrating in the neighborhood 
of JNIonticello and on the Ocmulgee River. Refugees and 
deserters from the enemy stated that it Avas intended to send 
this large concentration of cavalry under Wheeler on a raid 
into Tennessee against our communication. 

" On the afternoon of the 14th the enemy's cavalry, said 
to be six thousand strong, attacked Dalton. Colonel Laibold 
(Second Missouri Inflmtry), commanding the post, occupied 
the fort with a small command, and bravely defended his 
position until reinforced. 

" Early on the morning of the 15th, Major-General Steed- 
man, with two regiments of white and six companies of 
colored troops, arrived at Dalton from Chattanooga and im- 
mediately attacked the enemy, driving him off towards 
Spring Place after four hours' fighting. The enemy's loss 
was heavy; he left his dead and wounded on the field. Our 
loss was 40 killed and 55 wounded ; we captured about 50 
wounded and 2 surgeons. Before appearing in front of 
Dalton, Wheeler's men had destroyed about two miles of 
track on the railroad south of Dalton, but by noon of the 
17th the road was again in running order. Believing General 
Steedman to have sufficient troo])S at his disposal to beat off 
any further attack on the railroad, our whole attention was 
directed to the reduction of Atlanta, and at the same time it 
w'as determined to take advantage of the absence of the en- 
emy's cavalry to make one more effort to break the Macon 
and Western Railroads. Accordingly, on the 18th, Brigadier- 



OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 103 

General J. Kilpatriek, commanding Third Cavalry Division, 
was directed to attack and destroy both railroads, and for this 
purpose he was reinforced by two brigades taken from Gar- 
rard's Cavalry Division, stationed on the left of the army. 
With this force, numbering in all about four thousand men 
and two batteries of artillery, General Kilpatriek moved out 
from Sandtown on the evening of the 18th. He met the 
enemy's cavalry pickets, when only a short distance out from 
Sandtown, on the Chattahoochie, and skirmished with them 
to Jonesboro', on the Macon Railroad, driving them to that 
})lace. For six hours the command was engaged destroying 
the track, etc., until near midnight of the 19th, when part 
of his command was attacked one mile below the town and 
driven in, but subsequently the enemy was repulsed. Towards 
daylight of the 20th he moved in the direction of McDonough, 
and thence across the country back to the railroad near Love- 
joy's Station, reaching that point at about 11 a.m. on the 
20th. There he met a brigade of infantry, and, although re- 
pulsed at first, finally checked the advantage being gained by 
the enemy and drove him back with heavy loss. While 
thus engaged fighting infantry a heavy force of cavalry with 
artillery came up in his rear, and he found he was completely 
enveloped. Determining at once to break the enemy's line and 
extricate his command from its delicate position, he decided 
to ride over the enemy's cavalry and retire on McDonough. 
The movement was successfully made, and resulted in a com- 
plete rout of Jackson's Cavalry Division, numbering four 
thousand men, leaving in our hands 4 guns, 3 battle-flags, 
and all his wagons. Some prisoners were taken, and the 
enemy's loss in killed and wounded is known to be large. 
Reforming his command, Kilpatriek fought the enemy's 
infantry for an hour longer, when, finding his men running 
out of ammunition, he retired in the direction of Latimer's 



164 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE U. THOMAS. 

and Decatur without further molestation, reaching the latter 
place on the afternoon of the 22d. For details I have the 
honor to refer you to General Kilpatrick's official report, for- 
warded herewith, as also to that of Lieutenant G. A. Robin- 
son, commanding Chicago Board of Trade Battery, and to 
an article in the Chattanooga Rebel, jjublished at Griffin, 
Georgia, August 25. 

" Pending the above movements to break the enemy's rail- 
road communication, the troo^^s in front of the city kept up a 
constant shelling of the fortifications and buildings of Atlanta, 
and, as refugees informed us, with marked effect. 

" The heavy cavalry force under Wheeler still continued to 
threaten our railroad in Northern Georgia and East Tennes- 
see without seriously interrupting communication with Chat- 
tanooga and Nashville. This, however, gave us no uneasi- 
ness, as we had a good accumulation of supplies within safe 
proximity to the main army. 

"A considerable force of the enemy under Roddy had 
made its appearance in Northern Alabama, threatening to 
cross the Tennessee River near Decatur with a view of de- 
stroying the railroad between that place and Nashville. 
Again, in the vicinity of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Fort 
Donelson, the enemy had become troublesome, although with- 
out doing very material damage. To the discretion and good 
judgment of Major-Generals Rousseau and Steedman, com- 
manding respectively the District of the Tennessee and of 
the Etowah, and to Brigadier-General R. S. Granger, com- 
mandinof the District of Northern Alabama, was left the 
disposal of the troops and the defence of our communications 
with our depots at the north. 

"In compliance with the directions contained in Special 
Order No. 57, headquarters Military Division of the Missis- 
sippi (appended, marked 'A'), promulgated to my corps 



OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 165 

commanders on the 16th August, everything was placed in 
readiness for the execution of the contemplated movements 
by the time mentioned. The major-general commanding the 
military division having, however, decided to await the return 
of General Kilpatrick's expedition, the Army of the Cum- 
berland did not withdraw from its works until after dark on 
the night of the 25th. Stanley's corps, as directed from my 
headquarters (see instructions to Generals Stanley, Williams, 
and Garrard), commenced the movement by withdrawing 
from the position he then held on the left of the army to 
a line of ridges and high ground beyond and to the rear of 
the position where the right of the Twentieth Corjis rested. 
Here he remained and covered the withdrawal of the Twen- 
tieth Corps, the latter having been ordered to take post on 
the Chattahoochie at the railroad-bridge and at Pace's and 
Turner's Ferries. Garrard's division of cavalry covered the 
movements of the Fourth and Twentieth Corps, then crossed 
the Chattahoochie, at Pace's Ferry, on the 26th, and, recrossing 
at the bridge at Sandtown on the 27th, took post on Stanley's 
left, picketing Utoy Creek from Utoy Post-office to Sandtown. 

" The above movements were successfully executed, both 
corps being in the positions indicated at an early hour on the 
morning of the 26th. At 9 A.M. of the same day Stanley 
withdrew still farther, to a point along Utoy Creek, posting 
his command on some ridges facing the creek and across the 
Sandtown road. The Fourteenth Corps, then commanded by 
Brevet Major-General J. C. Davis, drew out from the position 
it had last held, on the right of the Army of the Tennessee, 
and, moving across Utoy Creek, took post on the right of 
Stanley's corps. Garrard's division of cavalry was directed 
to operate on the left and rear of the army, while Kilpatrick's 
division was similarly employed on the right. 

"On the 27th, Stanley's corps moved to Mount Gilead 



1QQ MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

church, and, forming line of battle along the road leading to 
Fairburn, skirmished lightly with the enemy's cavalry. The 
Fourteenth Corps (Davis's) moved as far as Holbrook's house, 
on the Campbelltown road, advancing one brigade to Patter- 
son's house, about a mile beyond, to cover the wagon-trains 
of the corps. The Twentieth Cor])s was securely in position 
on the Chattahoochie River, guarding the crossings and pro- 
te(;ting the depots at Marietta. Major-General H. "VV. Slocum 
assumed command of the corps by virtue of General Order 
No. — , AVar Department. 

" At daylight on the 28th, Davis's corps moved from its 
encampment, near Holbrook's house, to ISfount Gilead church, 
thence past the left of Stanley's corps, taking the road leading 
from Redwine's house to Red Oak, on the West Point Rail- 
road. Davis reached the railroad at 4 p.m., and posted his 
corps on the right of it, facing towards East Point. Stanley's 
command came up immediately after Davis's, and formed line 
on the left of the road. In this position the command re- 
mained for the night. Shortly after dark orders were issued 
to destroy the road by burning the ties and twisting the 
rails after heating. The work of destruction was continued 
throughout the night of the 28th and during part of the 
29th, and when completed the railroad had been thoroughly 
dismantled for a distance of two miles north of my line, and 
a little over a mile south of it. 

"About 6 A.M. on the 30th the Fourteenth and Fourth 
Corjis moved from Red Oak towards the Macon Railroad. 
The Fourteenth Corps (Davis) concentrated at Flat Shoal 
church about 9 a.m., and after resting for an hour moved 
on in an easterly direction towards Couch's house, on the 
Decatur and Fayetteville road, at which point line was formed 
and the command went into camp. 

" Communication was opened with the Army of the Ten- 



OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 1G7 

nessee at Renfro's bouse, two miles south of Couch's. The 
Fourth Corps formed on the left of the Fourteenth, its right 
extending beyond Mann's bouse, the line of the corps run- 
ning in a northwesterly direction from Couch's. The advance 
divisions of both corps skirmished with the enemy's infantry 
and cavalry during the day, and by sundown it was ascer- 
tained that the enemy was in force at Morrow's Mill, on 
Crooked Creek, about three-fourths of a mile distant from the 
left of Stanley's corps. Up to dark no communication had 
been established with the Army of the Ohio. Garrard's cav- 
alry was in the neighborhood of Ked Oak, guarding the left 
and rear of the army. 

" Ou the morning of the 31st, Stanley's corps moved to 
Morrow's Mill, where it found the enemy in intrenchments, 
very well finished, but occupied only by dismounted cavalry ; 
those were driven out. 

" The Army of the Ohio having come up, both commanders 
pushed out for the railroad, which was reached at the Big 
Bend, between Rough-and-Ready and Jonesboro'. General 
Stanley posted his corps between the railroad and Crooked 
Creek, and in that position remained for the night. Part of 
the Fourteenth Corps, under Brigadier-General Baird, made 
reconnoissance and demonstration in front of Couch's house, 
and reached the Macon and Western Railroad about two 
miles north of Jonesboro', with the advanced brigade, and 
destroyed about one mile of the track during the afternoon 
and night, although constantly annoyed by the enemy's cav- 
alry. ^yhiIst in this position a heavy column of the enemy's 
infantry was seen moving in a southerly direction, on a road 
still to the eastward of the one held by them. Some strag- 
glers belonging to this column were picked up by our skir- 
mishers, and from them it was ascertained that the troops we 
saw moving were Hardee's and Lee's corps. 



168 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" Up to this period tlie enemy had evidently been deceived 
as to the nature and strength of our movement on his com- 
munications, and only at this late hour had he detached any 
considerable force from the army in Atlanta. 

"During the afternoon of the 31st, the Army of the Ten- 
nessee being heavily attacked in the position it had taken up 
the night before near Jonesboro', and General Howard having 
asked for reinforcements, General Davis was instructed to 
send one division from his corps to its support. 

" Kilpatrick's division of cavalry, stationed on the right 
of the Army of the Tennessee, found a passage across Flint 
River and drove the enemy's pickets to within one-half mile 
of Jonesboro'. He was then attacked in turn by a heavy 
force of infantry and forced to withdraw. 

^^ September 1. — At an early hour the remainder of the 
Fourteenth Corps moved from near Renfro's house, on the 
Decatur and Fayetteville road, to rejoin that part of the 
command which had advanced the day before to the Rough- 
and-Ready and Jonesboro' road. The junction formed, the 
corps moved south towards Jonesboro', and reached the pickets 
of the Army of the Tennessee about two and a half miles 
from the point of concentration. A reconnoissance was then 
sent out towards the railroad, which drove in the enemy's 
skirmishers and gained possession of a ridge on the north side 
of Mill Creek with but small loss. Later in the afternoon 
two divisions of Davis's corps (Fourteenth) were formed on 
the ridge, and artillery was opened on the enemy's works 
with good effect. 

" The line of battle being finally adjusted, the command 
moved forward, attacking the enemy vigorously and driving 
him several hundred yards to his main works. An assault 
was then handsomely made on the works, which were car- 
ried along the entire line of Davis's command, after very heavy 



OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. 1(59 

fighting and loss of ov^er 1200 men. Two field-batteries of 
four guns each were captured in the enemy's fortifications, to- 
gether with about 1000 prisoners, including one general officer 
and several field-officers, and a number of small-arms and 
battle-flags. The enemy's loss in killed and wounded was 
very severe. 

" During this time the Fourth Corps (Stanley's) was mov- 
ing from Rough-and-Ready towards Jonesboro' along the 
railroad, destroying it as the troops advanced. Arriving near 
Jonesboro', the column was deployed with a view to advance 
against the enemy's right flank, but, it being already quite 
late, darkness came on and prevented an extensive movement. 
The line of Stanley's corps was on the left of the railroad, 
facing southwest ; Davis's corps passed the night in the en- 
emy's works, the left of the line connecting with Stanley's 
right at the railroad. 

" During the night the enemy fell back from Jonesboro', 
retreating towards Lovejoy's Station, where he was followed 
on the morning of the 2d by the Fourth Corps and the 
Armies of the Tennessee and of the Ohio, Davis's corps was 
directed to remain at Jonesboro' to bury the dead and collect 
captured property. 

" Stanley's corps moved along the railroad and to the left 
of it, coming up with the enemy just north of Lovejoy's Sta- 
tion about noon. Line of battle was formed and prepara- 
tions made to advance against the enemy in conjunction with 
the Army of the Tennessee on the right. It was only at 
a late hour, however, that the assault was made, and dark- 
ness prevented any decisive movement. Part of Stanley's 
troops gained the enemy's works and carried a small por- 
tion of them, but could not hold possession of the ground 
for want of co-operation on the part of the balance of the 
line. 



170 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" Durino; the night information reached us that at 11 a.m. 
on the 2d the mayor and authorities of Atlanta liad surren- 
dered the city to a force of the Twentieth Corps, Major-Gen- 
eral Sloeum commanding, which, in obedience to instructions 
previously given, had been sent out from the Chattahoochie 
to feel the enemy's strength. The city had been evacuated 
the night previous, the army destroying in its retreat public 
property of considerable value, including eighty car-loads of 
ammunition ; fourteen pieces of artillery and, several thousand 
stand of small-arms were found. 

"On the 3d the major-general commanding the military 
division issued orders to the effect that the campaign was 
ended, and that the grand army would return to Atlanta and 
vicinity until a new plan could be considered regarding future 
movements. Directions were at the same time given for the 
withdrawal of the troops. Corps commanders were instructed 
to send to the rear all surplus wagons and whatever material 
could obstruct the movements of the troops. The enemy still 
remained intrenched at Lovejoy's, although he was discovered 
to be moving his trains towards Griffin, with the supposed 
intention of withdrawing his main army to that point or still 
farther. 

"At 8 P.M. on the 5th, in conjunction M'ith the rest of 
the army, the Fourth Corps quietly withdrew from its 
position and fell back to Jonesboro', reaching that place at 
daylight on the 6th. The withdrawal was admirably con- 
ducted, and executed with complete success, although much 
impeded by a rain-storm, and consequent bad condition of the 
roads. 

" Both corps, Stanley's and Davis's, remained quietly at 
Jonesboro' during the 6th, although Davis's rear-guard was 
attacked by the enemy as it was moving through the town to 
join the balance of the corps in position north of it. The 



OPERATIONS IN NORTHERN GEORGIA. HI 

enemy occupied Jonesboro' during the afternoon, but contented 
himself with exchanging a few shots with our skirmishers. 

" On the 7th, at 7 a.m., the Fourth Corps witlidrew from 
its camp near Jonesboro', moved along the railroad to near 
Sykes's house, northeast of Rough-and-Ready, and took up 
a position for the niglit. The Fourteenth Corps fell back 
simultaneously with Stanley's command, marching on the 
main road leading to Rough -and-Ready from Jonesboro', 
and was posted on the right of the Fourth Corps, north of 
Rough-and-Ready. The enemy showed no disposition to 
follow the movements of either command. 

"The Army of the Cumberland reached Atlanta on the 
8th, and was posted on the outskirts of the town, — Davis's 
corps on the right of the Campbelltown road, Slocum's corps 
in the centre, and Stanley's on the left. The pickets of all 
three corps were thrown out well to the front, and occupied 
commanding positions. 

" For a detailed report of the operations I have the honor 
to refer you to the reports of the several corps commanders. 

" Herewith I have the honor to forward returns of prisoners 
of war, captured property, ammunition expended, and a con- 
solidated return of casualties. 

"In concluding this report I take the greatest pleasure in 
calling attention to the uniform gallantry displayed by the 
officers and troops of the Army of the Cumberland in all the 
battles in which they participated, and to their unwavering 
constancy and devotion to duty at all times during the entire 
campaign, commencing with the contests at Rocky Face Ridge 
and around Dalton, and ending with the operations at Jones- 
boro' and vicinity which forced the enemy to evacuate Atlanta. 
During these four months of active campaign hardily a day 
has passed that some portion of this army was not engaged 
either in skirmishing or in actual battle with the enemy, and 



172 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

ou every occasion behaving witli that self-reliance which is 
the sure prestige of success. All may be justly proud of their 
participation in the campaign against Atlanta. 

"Among the many gallant and lamented dead ^yho have 
given their lives to sustain and defend the honor of their 
country and government we must enumerate Brigadier-Gen- 
eral C. G. Harker and Colonel Dan McCook, Fifty-second 
Ohio Volunteer Infantry, who were mortally wounded lead- 
ing their respective brigades in the assault on the enemy's in- 
trenchments near Kenesaw Mountain, June 27. They were 
both skilful, brave, and accomplished officers. 

"The members of my staff were at all times efficient and 
active in the discharge of their various duties. 

" I enclose herewith the reports of subordinate commanders, 
which embody the operations of their respective commands, 
and to which I have the honor to invite the attention of the 
major-general commanding the Military Division of the 
Mississippi. 

"I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, 
" Geo. H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding.". 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Sherman goes to the Sea — Other Battles to be fought by Thomas in 
Tennessee — Concentrates his Forces at Nashville — Importuned to 
attack Enemy before Arrangements were Completed — Despatches 
from General Grant, etc. — Final Contest and Great Victory — Presi- 
dent congratulates Thomas and his Army — Pursuit of Hood — 
Consequences had Thomas been Defeated — Wilson's Cavalry. 

The Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, with most of the 
cavahy of the command, joined General Sherman in that 
eagle-swoop of his which served in so great a measure to 
stamp out the expiring embers of tlie Rebellion, and par- 
ticipated in that storied "March to the Sea." Under that 
eager, intense, untiring commander who seemed to have com- 
prehended so thoroughly the elements of victory, these two 
corps went the whole " grand rounds" through Georgia and 
the Carolinas, and graced with their presence the supreme 
crisis of that proud triumph when the second great mili- 
tary stay of the Rebellion succumbed to the logic of war 
and the point of the bayonet in North Carolina. They also 
joined in that gala-day of glory when two hundred thousand 
soldiers, in all the splendid pomp and glittering pageantry 
of their magnificent equipment, tramped up the avenues of 
the capital city of the land, and the preans of the great jubilee 
of the nation's deliverance rang in deep thankfulness from 

ocean to ocean. 

173 



174 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Some one has said that General Sherman is a bundle of 
nerves, — never still, always in motion. It is true that he was 
never satisfied unless his army was battering away at the 
enemy's lines. I remember at one time in Northern Georgia, 
after several weeks of rain, when it was impossible to move 
a wagon or a gun-carriage except on old and well-beaten 
roads, he turned to General Howard and frettingly remarked, 
" My God, Howard, is not this enough to try your Christian 
patience?" Howard's reply was characteristic of the Christian 
soldier : " Not in the least, general, — not in the least ! I 
have confidence in the justice of our cause, and we must 
succeed regardless of the kind of weather God gives us." 
Sherman remarked, " I guess you are right, Howard ; but I 
wish God would give us good weather until we can close up 
this military picnic, and then I will be perfectly willing to 
endure any amount of bad weather He may have in store for 
us." If General Sherman ever slept while on the Atlanta 
campaign no one knows it, and I venture to assert that if 
telephones had then been discovered the army commanders 
under him would have had few opportunities for repose. 

After the capture of Atlanta the campaign through the 
South to the coast was considered and decided upon. There 
has been some dispute in regard to the originator of that 
movement. It has been claimed by some that Thomas pro- 
posed to General Sherman to make that march with the 
Fourteenth and Twentieth Corps, moving on Savannah or 
on some point on the coast equally important. It has also 
been asserted that General Grant claimed the credit of origin- 
ating it; but my impression is that to Sherman belongs the 



SHERMAN'S MARCH TO THE SEA. 175 

credit. He was very unjustly criticised in regard to " leaving 
to tlie subordinate Thomas, with the lesser half of the army, 
to fight the main battles and conduct the real campaign, 
while he, the superior officer, with the greater half of the 
force, made a detour in which no danger was encountered, — 
no danger, in fact, apprehended, — and which could have been 
better effected with half the force." 

Other critics have expressed themselves to the effect that 
" Thomas made, at Nashville, Sherman's March to the Sea a 
success." But this is unfair. Sherman expected Thomas to 
do just what he did, — that is, defeat the enemy at Nashville, 
or wheresoever he might meet hira. As well might the 
quartermaster's department claim the success of all cam- 
paigns because the array could not live without the supplies 
which were sent forward to it. Sherman expected Thomas 
to take care of the rear, just as he expected the supply de- 
partments to furnish clothing and camp and garrison-equipage 
when ordered to do so. 

The selection of Thomas for this particular duty was not 
done unadvisedly, but after much deliberation. Sherman 
knew that Thomas possessed all the qualifications necessary 
for the important duty, and, while he disliked to leave his 
" wheel-horse" behind, yet he knew him to be brave, cool, 
calm, and deliberate, and just the general to be entrusted 
with this important duty; and the sequel demonstrated beyond 
a doubt the correctness of Sherman's selection. 

The troops placed under Thomas's command, with which 
he was to confront Hood if in his rashness he attempted the 
invasion of Tennessee, were the Fourth and Twenty-third 



176 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Corps. These had been greatly depleted by the casualties 
incident to the summer campaign. Hood had already sent 
his cavalry to raid upon the railroads, and he expected to 
be largely reinforced from the " Trans-Mississippi Depart- 
ment," and, with overpowering force, it was his intention to 
overcome any opposition and push forward to the Ohio. But 
the Federal movements in the extreme South were such that 
no troops could be spared for Hood, and hence he was com- 
pelled to invade Tennessee and trust to augmenting his com- 
mand by volunteers, which he hoped would rally under his 
flag. Few recruits joined him, and he found himself in front 
of T^ashville with a force too small to enable him to carry 
out his original' plans. Before crossing the Tennessee River 
he divided liis mounted force into two columns, one under 
General Buford, the other under General Forrest, both men 
of courage and enterprise. The former threatened Hunts- 
ville, and the latter Columbia. 

General Thomas arrived in Nashville on the 3d day of 
October, 1864, and took charge of all the Federal troops in 
Tennessee. The Confederate cavalry raiders were vigorously 
pursued by Generals Rousseau, Steedman, Morgan, Wash- 
burne, and Croxton, and driven across the Tennessee River. 
While these movements were in progress the position of 
affairs in Georgia had undergone a change. Hood had crossed 
the Chattahoochie, and with a portion of his array struck the 
railroad at Big Shanty and destroyed about twenty miles of 
the road-bed. On the 5th a Confederate division, under the 
command of General French, assaulted Allatoona, which was 
held by a brigade under the command of the gallant General 



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BATTLES FOUGHT IN TENNESSEE. 177 

John M. Corse, and was rcpnlsed with lieavy loss. Hood then 
made a demonstration in the direction of Rome, and, crossing 
the Coosa R-iver below, moved in the direction of Sumnier- 
ville and Lafayette, threatening Chattanooga and Bridgeport. 
To meet these movements of Hood, General Thomas dis- 
posed of his command as follows : General Croxton's cavalry 
brigade was ordered to watch the line of the Tennessee from 
Decatur to Eastport, General Morgan's division moved from 
Athens to Chattanooga, General Steedman's division moved 
from Decatur to Bridgeport, and General Rousseau's com- 
mand was concentrated at Athens. On the 12th the enemy's 
cavalry attacked Resaca and Avas repulsed. About this time 
the garrisons at Tunnel Hill, Ringgold, and points interme- 
diate were withdrawn to Chattanooga. 

On the 13th, General Hood, with one corps of his army, 
forced the surrender of Dalton, and after destrovino; the rail- 
road and telegraph-wires he moved through Nickojack Gap, 
rejoining his army near Summerville. By the 29th of Octo- 
ber, General Sherman had rejiaired the railroad, and trains 
commenced running regularly. The Fourth Corps was then 
ordered to report to General Thomas. 

The enemy made a strong feint in the direction of Decatur, 
Alabama, from the 26th to the 29th, meeting with consider- 
able loss. He then withdrew and commenced crossing the 
Tennessee River at or near the mouth of Cypress Creek. 
These movements developed the plans of the enemy and 
made it evident that he intended the invasion of Middle 
Tennessee. General Hatch, with his cavalry division, was 
ordered from Clifton to the support of Croxton at Florence. 

12 



178 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

On the 30th the Twenty-third Corps was ordered to report 
to General Thomas, and he was given full control over all 
the troops in the Military Division of the Mississippi, ex- 
cepting only those under General Sherman ; but it should be 
remembered that these were scattered over a large district of 
country, and some held very important points which could 
not be abandoned to the enemy. General Rousseau, with 
5000 at Murfreesboro', could not be called in, for that would 
turn over to the enemy the strong fortifications at that point ; 
and so Thomas, in calculating the force that he would have 
available for opposing Hood, had to leave Rousseau out of 
consideration. General Hood, in "Advance and Retreat," 
asserts that Thomas had 82,000 men under his command at 
Nashville. Thomas's infantry force was about 25,000, and 
his cavalry amounted to less than 8000 eifective men. 

As soon as Hood had effected a lodgment on the north side 
of the Tennessee, he forced Croxton back to the east bank of 
Shoal Creek. With all possible despatch General Stanley 
proceeded to concentrate the Fourth Corps at Pulaski. Soon 
Schofield arrived with the Twenty-third Corps and by virtue 
of seniority assumed command of the whole, and under the 
direction of General Thomas made such dispositions as were 
calculated to delay the advance of the enemy as much as 
possible, so as to allow the concentration of every available 
man at Nashville, and to give time for the arrival of re- 
inforcement? which were ordered from Missouri. As pre- 
viously stated, Thomas had about 33,000 men, a part of whom 
were civil employees witjiout experience in military matters. 
Hood was advancing with his veteran army of 42,000 infantry 



BATTLES FOUGHT IN TENNESSEE. 179 

and 13,000 cavalry, and great anxiety was felt for the final 
result of such an unequal contest. Thomas was the only one 
who seemed to have no doubts in regard to the final issue. 
General Sherman remained with his headquarters at King- 
ston until November 11, and his uncertain attitude served 
to hold Hood in check at Florence, where he remained until 
about the 19th day of November. Then, placing his army in 
motion, he marched on parallel roads towards Waynesboro', 
forcing General Hatch's cavalry force from Lawrenceburg. 
Thomas, whose great brain comprehended the entire move- 
ment, directed the various parts of his command to fall back 
on Nashville, offering such resistance as could be made with- 
out bringing on a general engagement. On the 30th, Scho- 
field had his whole command in position at Franklin, with 
both flanks resting on the Harpeth River, and at once com- 
menced to fortify his front. Hood appeared before the works 
and rashly ordered an assault. Probably in no battle of the 
war was better fighting done than at Franklin. There was 
no cover for the assaulting-party, and the ranks of the enemy 
were fearfully depleted. The loss among gene al officers was 
very heavy, as many of the bravest and best of Hood's gen- 
erals fell on that memorable day. 

At one time the Federal line was broken, and had it not 
been for the coolness and bravery of General D. S. Stanley, 
who was in the fore-front of the battle, the Federal army 
would have been routed and driven across the river in the 
greatest confusion. When he discovered the break in the 
line, although a corps commander, he placed himself at 
the head of a brigade, and, leading the charge, drove the 



180 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

enemy back and re-established the continuity of the line. 
His horse was killed under him, and he was himself severely 
wounded. Owing to his injuries he had to relinquish his 
command, and General Thomas J. Wood became the tempo- 
rary commander of the Fourth Corps, which he handled at 
all times with consummate ability and to the entire satisfac- 
tion of General Thomas. 

This signal defeat deeply depressed the enemy, and General 

Schofield withdrew to Nashville without further molestation, 

ft 
arriving there early on the morning of the 1st day of Decem- 
ber, 1864. As the troops arrived in Nashville, General 
Thomas superintended in person their location in the line 
of battle. On tlie morning of December 4, Hood's army 
marched up to within six hundred yards of the Federal line, 
with flags flying, deployed as if on drill, and began to fortify 
their defiant position. The enemy posted his artillery and 
infantry in the centre and his cavalry on the flanks, resting 
on the river above and below. His bands were brought out, 
and the strains of " Dixie" could be heard from a dozen or 
more points along his line. To those who did not know all 
the arrangements Thomas had made to defeat Hood and his 
bold followers, the prospect was anything but bright. Hood 
had under his command a fine army, commanded by some of 
the best officers of the South, and he was in front of Nash- 
ville, determined to take it all hazards. Under all the circum- 
stances he was a foe worthy of Thomas's serious consideration. 
The defeat of the Federal army at this place Avould have 
delayed, in all probability, the closing scenes of the war for 
years, and no one knew it so well as George H. Tliomas. 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. ]81 

Knowing it, he resolved not to measure steel with his adver- 
sary without first making his arrangements as complete and 
perfect as possible. Information reached him from Wash- 
ington that the authorities were displeased at his delay, and 
even General Grant was disposed to censure him for not 
moving against Hood and driving him out of Tennessee. 

Thomas expected to be ready for battle by the 7th, but on 
account of the delay in getting horses for his cavalry he was 
not ready until the 9th. With the completion of his prepa- 
rations came a fall of sleet, which rendered the movement 
of troops for any purpose, and especially for battle, an utter 
impossibility. The annoyance caused by these vexatious de- 
lays led to the following telegrams, which are given to show 
the great anxiety felt by the commander-in-chief and others 
for the overthrow of Hood before he could cross the Cum- 
berland and take up his line of march for the Ohio River : 

(No. 1.) 
" Washington, December 2, 10.30 a.m. 

" Lieutenant-General Grant, City Point : 

" The President feels solicitous about the disposition of 
Thomas to lay in fortifications for an indefinite period, 'until 
Wilson gets his equipments.' This looks like the McClellan 
and Rosecraus strategy of do nothing and let the enemy raid 
the country. The President wishes you to consider the matter. 

"Edwin M. Stanton, 
" Secretary of War." 

(No. 2.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 2, 1864, 11 a.m. 
" Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
" If Hood is permitted to remain quietly about Nashville 



182 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

we will lose all the roads back to Chattanooga, and possibly 
have to abandon the line of the Tennessee River. Should 
he attack you it is all well, but if he does not you should 
attack him before he fortifies. . . . 

"U.S. Grant, 
" Lieutenant-General." 



(No. 3.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 2, 1864, 1.30 p.m. 

" Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 

. . . "After the repulse of Hood at Franklin, it looks to 
me that instead of falling back to Nashville we should have 
taken the offensive against the enemy, but at this distance 
may err as to the method of dealing with the enemy. You 
will suffer incalculable injury upon your railroads if Hood is 
not speedily disposed of. Put forth, therefore, every possible 
exertion to attain this end. Should you get him to retreating 
give him no peace. 

[Signed] "U. S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



(No. 4.) 
"Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 

" Nashville, Tenn., December 2, 1864, 10 p.m. 

" General U. S. Grant, City Point, Va. : 

"Your two telegrams of 11 a.m. and 1.30 p.m. to-day 
received. At the time Hood was whipped at Franklin, I 
had at this place but about 5000 men of General Smith's 
command, which, added to the force under General Schofield, 
would not have given me more than 25,000 men. Besides, 
General Schofield felt convinced that he could not hold the 
enemy at Franklin until the 5000 could reach him. As Gen- 
eral Wilson's cavalry force also numbered only about one- 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 183 

fourth that of Forrest, I tliought it best to draw tlie troops 
hack to Nashville and await the arrival of the remainder of 
General Smith's force, and also a force of about 5000 com- 
manded by General Steedman, which I had ordered up from 
Chattanooga. The division of General Smith arrived yester- 
day morning, and General Steedman's troops arrived last 
night. I have infantry enough to assume the offensive if I 
had more cavalry, and will take the field anyhow as soon 
as the remainder of General McCook's division of cavalry 
reaches here, which I hope it will in two or three days. We 
can neither get reinforcements nor equipments at this great 
distance from the North very easily, and it must be remem- 
bered that my command was made up of the two weakest 
corps of General Sherman's army, and all the dismounted 
cavalry except one brigade ; and the task of reorganizing and 
equipping has met with many delays, which have enabled 
Hood to take advantage of my crippled condition. I earn- 
estly hope, however, in a few days more I shall be able to 
give him a fight. 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



(No. 5.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 5, 18G4, 6.30 p.m. 
"Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville, Tenn.: 
" Is there not danger of Forrest's moving down the Ten- 
nessee River where he can cross it ? It seems to me, while 
you should be getting up your cavalry as rapidly as possible 
to look after Forrest, Hood should be attacked where he is. 
Time strengthens him, in all probability, as much as it does 

you. 

[Signed] "U.S.Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



184 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

(No. 6.) 

" Nashville, December 6, 1864. 

" Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, City Point: 

"Your telegram of 6.30 p.m., December 5th, is jast re- 
ceived. As soon as I get up a respectable force of cavalry I 
will march against Hood. General Wilson has parties out 
now pressing horses, and I hope to have some six or eight 
thousand cavalry mounted in three days from this time. 
General Wilson has just left me, having received instruc- 
tions to hurry the cavalry to remount as rapidly as possible. 
I do not think it prudent to attack Hood with less than six 
thousand cavalry to cover my flanks, because he has under 
Forrest at least twelve thousand. I have no doubt Forrest 
will attempt to cross the river, but I am in hopes the gun- 
boats will be able to prevent him. The enemy has made 
no new developments to-day. Breckinridge is reported at 
Lebanon with six thousand men, but I cannot believe it 
possible. 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



(No. 7.) 
"City Point, Virginia, December 6, 1864, 4 p.m. 

" Major-Gexeral George H. Thomas, Nashville : 

" Attack Hood at once, and wait no longer for a remount 
for your cavalry. There is great danger in delay resulting 
in a campaign back to the Ohio. 

[Signed] ".U. S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



(No. 8.) 
"Nashville, December 6, 1864,9 p.m. 

" Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, City Point : 
"Your despatch of 4 p.m. this day received. I will make 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 185 

the necessary disposition, and attack Hood at once, agreeably 
to your orders, though I believe it will be hazardous with 
the small force of cavalry now at my service. 

[Signed] "George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



(No. 9.) 



" War Department, 
"Washington, December 7, 1864, 10.20a.m. 

" Lieutenant-General Grant : 

" Thomas seems unwilling to attack because it is hazardous, 
as if all war was any but hazardous. If he waits for Wil- 
son to get ready, Gabriel will be blowing his last horn. 

" Edwin M. Stanton." 



(No. 10.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 8, 18G4. 

" Major-General Halleck, Washington : 

" Please direct General Dodge to send all the troops he can 
spare to General Thomas. With such an order he can be re- 
lied on to send all that can properly go. They had probably 
better be sent to Louisville, for I fear either Hood or Breck- 
inridge will go to the Ohio River. I will submit whether it 
is not advisable to call on Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois for sixty 
thousand men for thirty days. If Thomas has not struck yet, 
he ought to be ordered to hand over his command to Schofield. 
There is no better man to repel an attack than Thomas ; but 
I fear he is too cautious to take the initiative. 

[Signed] " U. S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



186 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

(No. 11.) 

"War Department, 
"Washington, D. C, December 8, 1864. 

" Lieutenant-General Grant, City Point : 

" If you wish General Thomas relieved, give the order. 
No one here will, I think, interfere. The responsibility, 
however, will be yours, as no one here, so far as I am in- 
formed, wishes General Thomas removed. 

[Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 

" Major-General, Chief of Staff." 



(No. 12.) 
"Nashville, Tennessee, December 7, 1864, 9 p.m. 
" Major-General Halleck, Washington : 

" The enemy has not increased his force in our front. Have 
sent gun-boats up the river above Carthage. One returned 
to-day, and reported no signs of the enemy on the river bank 
from forty miles above Carthage to this place. Captain Fitch, 
United States navy, started down the river yesterday with a 
convoy of transport steamers, but was unable to get them 
down, the enemy having planted three batteries on a bend of 
the river between this and Clarksville. Captain Fitch was 
unable to silence all three of the batteries yesterday, and will 
return again to-morrow morning, and, with the assistance of 
the ' Cincinnati/ now at Clarksville, I am in hopes will now 
be able to clear them out. So far the enemy has not materi- 
ally injured the Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. 
[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



(No. 13.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 8, 1864, 7.30 p.m. 
" Major-Gexeral George H. Thomas, Nashville : 
"Your despatch of yesterday received. It looks to me 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 187 

evidently the enemy are trying to cross the Cumberland, and 
are scattered. Why not attack at once? By all means avoid 
the contingency of a foot-race to see which, you or Hood, can 
beat to the Ohio. If you think necessary call on the gover- 
nors of States to send a force into Louisville to meet the 
enemy if he should cross the river. You clearly never 
should cross, except in rear of the enemy. Now is one of 
the fairest opportunities ever presented of destroying one of 
the three armies of the enemy. If destroyed he can never 
replace it. Use the means at your command, and you can do 
this and cause a rejoicing from one end of the land to the 
other. 

[Signed] "U. S. Gkant, 

" Lieutenant- General." 

(No. 14.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 8, 18G4, 10 p.m. 
" Major-Gexeral Halleck, Washington : 

" Your despatch of 9 p.m. just received. I want General 
Thomas reminded of the importance of immediate action. I 
sent him a despatch this evening, which will probably urge 
him on. I would not say relieve him until I hear further 
from him. 

[Signed] " U. S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



(No. 15.) 
"Nashville, Tennessee, December 8, 18G4, 11.30 p.m. 
" Lieutexant-Gexerat. Grant, City Point : 

"Your despatch of 7.30 p.m. is just received. I can only 
say, in further extenuation why I have not attacked Hood, 
that I could not concentrate my troops and get their trans- 
portation in order in shorter time than it has been done, and 



188 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

am satisfied I have made every effort that was possible to 
complete the task. 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 

" Major-Generalj Commanding." 



(No. 16.) 
" Washington, December 9, 1864, 10.30 a.m. 
" Ma jor-General George H. Thomas, Nashville, Tenn.: 
" Lieutenant-General Grant expresses much dissatisfaction 
at your delay in attacking the enemy. If you wait till 
General Wilson mounts all his cavalry, you will wait till 
doomsday, for the waste equals the supply. Moreover, you 
will be in the same condition that Rosecrans was last year, 
with so many animals that you cannot feed them. Reports 
already come in of a scarcity of forage. 

[Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
" Major-General and Chief of Staff." 



(No. 17.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 9, 1864, 11 a.m. 

" Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 

" Despatch of 8 p.m. last evening, from Nashville, shows 
the enemy scattered for more than seventy miles down the 
river, and no attack yet made by Thomas. Please telegraph 
orders relieving him and placing Schofield in command. 
Thomas should be ordered to turn over all orders and des- 
patches received since the battle of Franklin to Schofield. 
[Signed] " U. S. Grant, 

"Lieutenant-General." 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 189 

""War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, 
" Washington, December 9, 1864. 
" General Orders No. — . 

"The following despatch having been received from Lieii- 
tenant-General Grant, viz. : 

" 'Please telegraph orders relieving him (General Thomas) 
at once, and placing (General) Schofield in command,' the 
President orders : 

" I. That Major-General J. M. Schofield relieve at once 
Major-General G. H. Thomas in command of the Department 
and Army of the Cumberland. 

" II. General Thomas will turn over to General Schofield 
all orders and instructions received by him since the battle 
of Franklin. 

" E. D. TOWNSEND, 

" Assistant Adjutant-General." 



(No. 18.) 
" Nashville, December 9, 1864, 2 p.m. 
" Ma.jor-Gexeral H. W. Halleck, Wa.shington, D. C. : 
" Your despatch of 10.30 A.m. this date is received. I re- 
gret that General Grant should feel dissatisfaction at my 
delay in attacking the enemy. I feel conscious that I have 
done everything in my power to prepare, and that the troops 
could not have been gotten ready before this. And if he 
should order me to be relieved, I will submit without a 
murmur. A terrible storm of freezing rain has come on 
since daylight, which will render an attack impossible till it 
breaks. 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 

" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



190 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

(No. 19.) 
" Nashville, Tennessee, December 9, 1864. 1 p.m. 

" Lieutenant-General U. S. Grant, City Point : 

" Your de.spatch of 8.30 p.m. of the 8th is just received. 
I have nearly completed my preparations to attack the enemy 
to-morrow morning, but a terrible storm of freezing rain has 
come on to-day, which will make it impossible for our men 
to fight to any advantage. I am therefore compelled to wait 
for the storm to break, and make the attack immediately after. 
Admiral Lee is patrolling the river above and below the city, 
and I believe will be able to prevent the enemy from crossing. 
There is no doubt but Hood's forces are considerably scattered 
along the river, with the view of attempting a crossing, but 
it has been impossible for me to organize and equip the troops 
for an attack at an earlier time. Major-General Halleck 
informs me that you are very much dissatisfied with my 
delay in attacking. I can only say I have done all in my 
power to prepare, and if you should deem it necessary to re- 
lieve me, I shall submit without a murmur. 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 

" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



(No. 20.) 
" War Department, Washington, December 9, 18G4, 4 p.m. 
" Lieutenant-General Grant, City Point : 

"Orders relieving General Thomas had been made out when 
his telegram of this p.m. was received. If you still wish 
these orders telegraphed to Nashville they will be forwarded. 
[Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 

" Chief of Staif." 

(No. 21.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 9, 1864, 5.30 p.m. 
"Major-General Halleck, Washington : 

" General Thomas has been urged in every possible way 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. 191 

to attack the enemy, even to tlie giving the positive order. 
He did say he thought he should be able to attack on the 7th, 
but he did not do so, nor has he given a reason for not doing 
it. I am very unwilling to do injustice to an officer who has 
done so much good service as General Thomas has, however, 
and will therefore suspend the order relieving him until it is 
seen whether he will do anything. 

[Signed] ^'U.S. Grant, 

" Lieutenaut-General." 



(No. 22.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 9, 1864, 7.30 p.m. 
" Ma jor-Gexeral Thomas, Nashville : 

" Your despatch of 1 p.m. to-day is received. I have as 
much confidence in your conducting the battle rightly as I 
have in any other officer, but it has seemed to me you have 
been slow, and I have had no explanation of affiiirs to con- 
vince me otherwise. Receiving your despatch to Major-Gen- 
eral Halleck of 2 p.m. before I did the first to me, I tele- 
graphed to suspend the order relieving you until we should 
hear further. I hope most sincerely that there will be no 
necessity of repeating the order, and that the facts will show 
that you have been right all the time. 

[Signed] "U. S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



(No. 23.) 
" City Point, Virginia, December 11, 1864, 4 p.m. 
" Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 

" If you delay attacking longer, the mortifying spectacle 
will be witnessed of a rebel army moving for the Ohio, and 
you will be forced to act, accepting such weather as you find. 
Let there be no further delay. Hood cannot stand even a 



192 MEMOIR OF MA J. -GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

drawn battle so far from his supplies of ordnance stores. If 
he retreats and you follow, he must lose his material and most 
of his army. I am in hopes of receiving a despatch from 
you to-day announcing that you have moved. Delay no 
longer for weather or reinforcements. 

[Signed] "U. S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



(No. 24.) 
"Nashville, Tennessee, December 12, 1864, 10.30 p.m. 
" Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 

" I have the troops ready to make the attack on the enemy 
as soon as the sleet which now covers the ground has melted 
suflficiently to enable the men to march ; as the whole country 
is now covered with a sheet of ice so hard and slippery it is 
utterly impossible for troops to ascend the slopes, or even 
move on level ground in anything like order. It has taken 
the entire day to place my cavalry in position, and it has only 
been finally effected with imminent risk and many serious 
accidents, resulting from the numbers of horses falling with 
their riders on the road. Under these circumstances, I believe 
that an attack at this time would only result in a useless sacri- 
fice of life. 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. V., Commanding." 



" Headquarters of the Armies of the United States, 
" City Point, Virginia, December 13, 1864. 
" Special Orders No. 149. 

"I. Major-General John A. Logan, United States Vol- 
unteers, will proceed immediately to Nashville, Tennessee, 
report by telegraph to the lieutenant-general his arrival at 



IMPORTUNED TO ATTACK THE ENEMY. J 93 

Louisville, Kentucky, and also his arrival at Nashville, 
Tennessee. 

***** H< * 

" By command of Lieutenant-General Grant, 

[Signed] "T. S. Bowees, 

" Assistant Adjutant-General." 



(No. 25.) 

" Major-Geneeal Geoege H. Thomas, Nashville : 

" It has been seriously apprehended that while Hood, with 
a part of his forces, held you in check near Nashville, he 
would have time to co-operate against other important points 
left only partially protected. Hence Lieutenant-General 
Grant was anxious that you should attack the rebel forces in 
your front, and expresses great dissatisfaction that his order 
had not been carried out. Moreover, so long as Hood occu- 
pies a threatening position in Tennessee, General Canby is 
obliged to keep large forces on the Mississippi River to pro- 
tect its navigation and to hold Memphis, Vicksburg, etc., 
although General Grant had directed a part of these forces 
to co-operate with Sherman. Every day's delay on your 
part, therefore, seriously interferes with General Grant's plans. 
[Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 
" Major-General and Chief of Staff." 



(No. 26.) 
" Nashtille, December 14, 1864, 8 p.m. 

" Major-General H. W. Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 
"Your telegram of 12.30 m. to-day is received. The ice 
having melted away to-day, the enemy will be attacked to- 
morrow morning. Much as I regret the apparent delay in 

13 



194 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

attacking tlie enemy, it could not have been done before with 
any reasonable prospect of success. 

[Signed] "George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



The foregoing despatches are given to show how a com- 
mander may be compelled to fight front and rear at one and 
the same time. Of course there can be no doubt of the good 
intentions of those in authority a thousand miles away, but 
had Thomas rushed madly against Hood in obedience to out- 
side demand his army would have been defeated in all prob- 
ability, and Hood would have had a clear track and an undis- 
puted march to the Ohio River. That a terrible catastrophe 
did not befall the Union army at Nashville was due to the 
fact that Thomas could not be coerced into a movement 
against the enemy until his arrangements were fully made. 
It was the outside pressure of " On to Richmond" that gave 
us such a signal defeat in the first year of the war, and 
Thomas determined that he would not permit himself to be 
urged into the commission of a like blunder. 

On the night of December 14, 1864, he called around him 
most of the general officers of his command, not for consulta- 
tion but to deliver to each his particular instructions, and 
when they dispersed to join their respective commands they 
knew just what was expected of them next morning. 

At a given signal the whole line was to move forward. 
Morning came and a dense heavy fog overhung both armies. 
The line was formed and awaited the disappearance of the 



FINAL CONTEST AND GREAT VICTORY. 195 

mist, which took place about 9 o'clock, and then with a shout 
and yell the troops moved forward from right to left. The 
position in line was as follows : Wilson's cavalry on the right, 
General A. J. Smith's corps on Wilson's left, General T. J. 
Wood with the Fourth Corps on Smith's left, and General 
J. B. Steedman's troops on the extreme left of the Federal 
line. The Twenty-third Corps, commanded by General J. 
M. Schofield, was held in reserve ; General Wood forced the 
enemy from his intrenched position, while Smith, Schofield, 
and Wilson pressed back the rebel left some miles into the 
hills. Night closed upon the scene and ended the strife for 
the day. Thomas's plan was without a flaw, and every com- 
mand performed to the letter the part assigned to it. 

The able general whose peerless wisdom projected it had 
the consummate skill to accomplish it in all its details from 
the opening volleys on the left, where Steedman's troops bore 
the national flag up to the very intrenchments of the enemy, 
and breasted the storm of lead and flame and steel, to the 
awful tempest of death which rained its torrents of blood 
upon the quaking breast of Overton's Hill, on the evening 
of the second day, and shook the forests with its terrific roar. 
The battle was ended and the Confederates were in full re- 
treat. Thomas with his staff rode to the summit of Over- 
ton's Hill, and, scanning the grounds and the results, lifted 
his hat and said, " Oh, what a grand army I have ! God 
bless each member of it." 

Not, perhaps, in all the history of authentic war is there 
another instance of the besieged, gathered as was this com- 
mand on the spur of the occasion from every direction, de- 



196 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

tachraents, raw recruits, drafted men, new regiments, with 
two small corps as the nucleus of organization, throwing 
down every barrier and laying aside every artificial defence, 
rushing out upon an outnumbering foe versed in all the 
strategy of war, and beating him face to face in fair and 
open contest. What Hannibal failed to do at Carthage and 
Marc Antony failed to do when he sallied down to meet the 
young Octavius, was reserved for Major-General George H. 
Thomas to do at Nashville. Never was victory more com- 
plete, or defeat more crushing and overwhelming. Hood's 
army was literally and actually broken up and destroyed, 
and its usefulness as an effective military organization ruined 
effectually and forever. Had this battle terminated differ- 
ently, the rebellion would have received a new lease of life, 
and other and bloody campaigns would have been the legiti- 
mate consequences. Richmond would have been reinforced, 
and the rear of Sherman's army would have been endangered, 
while but a flimsy line of outposts would have intervened 
between the rich cities of the Northwest and Hood's needy 
and desperate squadrons. But it was not in the nature of 
things that it should terminate differently. 

During the progress of the first day's fight many prisoners 
were captured and sent to Thomas's field headquarters to be 
disposed of by the provost-marshal. The number became 
so great that it was necessary to send them back to the city 
under a proper escort. The only troops convenient for the 
purpose were some colored regiments from which the provost- 
marshal ordered detachments as they were required. Some 
of these prisoners were from South Carolina, and, not wish- 



CONGRATULATIONS TO THOMAS. I97 

ing to be placed under a negro guard, appealed to General 
Thomas, saying that they would rather die than to enter 
Nashville in charge of " nigger" soldiers. Thomas remarked, 
" Well, you may say your prayers, and get ready to die, for 
these are the only soldiers that I can spare." 

It is needless to say that they went into Nashville in charge 
of the "nigger" guard. 

At nine o'clock, December 15, Thomas sent the following 
despatch : 

" Attacked enemy's left this morning ; drove it from the 
river below the city, very nearly to Franklin pike, distance 
about eight miles." 

During the night of the 15th and morning of the 16th 
the following despatches were received by General Thomas : 
" Washington, December 15, 1864, 11.30 p.m. 

" Major-General George H. Thomas, Nashville : 

" I was just on my way to Nashville, but receiving a 
despatch from Van Duzen detailing your splendid success 
of to-day, I shall go no farther. Push the enemy now, and 
give him no rest until he is entirely destroyed. Your army 
will cheerfully suffer many privations to break up Hood's 
army and make it useless for future operations. Do not stop 
for trains or supplies, but take them from the country, as the 
enemy has done. Much is now expected. 

[Signed] "U. S. Graxt, 

" Lieutenant-General." 

" Washington, December 16, 11.20 a.m. 

" To Major-General, Thomas : 

" Please accept for yourself, officers, and men the nation's 
thanks for your work of yesterday. You made a magnificent 



198 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

beginning. A grand consummation is within your easy reach. 
Do not let it slip. 

[Signed] "A. Lincoln." 

"Washington, December 15, 1864, 12 Midnight. 

" Major-General Thomas : 

"Your despatch of this evening just received. I con- 
gratulate you and the army under your command for to-day's 
operations, and feel a conviction that to-morrow will add 
more fruits to your victory. 

[Signed] "U. S. Grant." 

" Lieutenant-General." 

" Washington, December 15, 1864, 12 Midnight. 

" Major-General Thomas : 

" I rejoice in tendering to you, and the gallant officers and 
soldiers of your command, the thanks of this department for 
the brilliant achievement of this day, and hope that it is the 
harbinger of a decisive victory that will crown you and your 
army with honor, and do much toward closing the war. We 
shall give you a hundred guns in the morning. 

[Signed] "E. M. Stanton, 

" Secretary of War." 

In acknowledgment of these despatches, Thomas replied : 

"Headquarters Department op the Cumberland, 
" Six Miles from Nashville, December 16, 1864. 

"To THE President of the United States, Hon. E. 
M. Stanton, and General U. S. Grant, Wash- 
ington: 
" This army thanks you for your approbation of its con- 
duct yesterday, and, to assure you that it is not misplaced, I 
have the honor to report that the enemy has been pressed at 
all points to-day on his line of retreat through the Brentwood 



DESPATCH ANNOUNCING THE VICTOR T. ]99 

Hills, and Brigadier-General Hatch, of Wilson's Corps of 
Cavalry, on the right, turned the enemy's left and captured a 
large number of prisoners; number not yet reported. Major- 
General Schofield's troops, next on the left of cavalry, carried 
several heights, captured many prisoners and six pieces of 
artillery. Brevet Major-General Smith, next on the left of . 
Major-General Schofield, carried the salient point of the 
enemy's line with McWilliams's brigade of McArthur's 
division, capturing 16 pieces of artillery, 2 brigadier-generals, 
and about 2000 prisoners. Brigadier-General Garrard's di- 
vision of Smith's command, next on the left of McArthur's 
division, carried the enemy's intrenchments, capturing all the 
artillery and troops on the line. Brigadier-General Wood's, 
on the Franklin ]nke, took up the .assault, carried the en- 
emy's intrenchments in his front, captured 8 pieces, some- 
thing over 600 prisoners, and drove the enemy to within 
one mile of Brentwood Pass. Major-General Steedman, com- 
manding detachments of the Military Division of the Mis- 
sissippi, most nobly supported General Wood's left, and bore 
a most honorable part in the operations of the day. I have 
ordered the pursuit to be continued in the morning at day- 
light, although the troops are very much fatigued. The 
greatest enthusiasm prevails. I must not forget to report the 
operations of Brigadier-General R. W. Johnson in success- 
fully driving the enemy, with co-operation of the gunboats 
under Lieutenant-Commander Fitch, from their established 
batteries on the Cumberland River below the city of Nash- 
ville, and the services of Brigadier-General Croxton's bri- 
gade in covering and relieving our right and rear in the oper- 
ations of yesterday and to-day. Although I have no report 
of the number of prisoners captured by Johnson's and Crox- 
ton's commands, I know they have made a large number. 
I am glad to be able to state that the number of j^risoners 



200 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE 11. THOMAS. 

captured yesterday greatly exceeds the uumber reported by me 
last evening. The roads, fields, and intrenchments are strewn 
M'ith tiie enemy's abandoned small-arras, abandoned in their 
retreat. In conclusion, I am happy to state that all this has 
been effected with but a very small loss to us. Our loss does 
not probably exceed three thousand, very few killed. 
[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 

" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



" Washington, December 18, 1864, 12 m. 

" Major-General Thomas : 

" The armies operating against Richmond have fired two 
prolonged guns in honor of your great victory. Sherman 
has fully established his base on Ossabaw Sound, with 
Savannah fully invested. I hope to be able to fire a salute 
to-morrow in honor of the fall of Savannah. In all your 
operations we hear nothing of Forrest.* Great precaution 
should be taken to prevent him crossing the Cumberland or 
Tennessee Rivers below Eastport. After Hood is driven as 
far as possible to follow him, you want to reoccupy Decatur 
and all other abandoned points. 

[Signed] " U. S. Grant, 

" Lieuteuant-General." 



"Washington, December 21, 1864, 12 m. 

"■ Major-General George H. Thomas : 

" Permit me, general, to urge the vast importance of a hot 
pursuit of Hood's army. Every possible sacrifice should be 

* Forrest was at Murfreesboro' operating against Rousseau, in connec- 
tion with Bates's division. — Hood^s Advance and Retreat. 



PURSUIT OF HOOD. 201 

made, and yonr men for a few days will submit to any hard- 
ships and privations to accomplish the great result. If you 
can capture or destroy Hood's army, General Sherman can 
entirely crush out the rebel military force in all the Southern 
States. He begins a new campaign about the 1st of Jan- 
uary, which will have the most important results if Hood's 
army can now be used up. A most vigorous pursuit on your 
part is therefore of vital importance to General Sherman's 
plans. No sacrifice must be spared to obtain so important a 

ppcn ]+* 

[Signed] " H. W. Halleck, 

" Major-General and Chief of Staff." 



" In the Field, December 21, 1864. 

" Major-General Halleck, Washington, D. C. : 

"Your despatch of 12 m. to-day is received. General 
Hood's army is being pursued as rapidly and as vigorously 
as it is possible for one army to pursue another. We cannot 
control the elements, and you must remember that to resist 
Hood's advance into Tennessee I had to reorganize and al- 
most thoroughly equip the force now under my command. 
I fought the battles of the 15th and 16th instants with the 
troops but partially equipped, and, notwithstanding the in- 
clemency of the weather and the partial equipment, have been 
enabled to drive the enemy beyond Duck River, crossing two 
streams with my troops, and driving the enemy from position 
to position without the aid of pontoons, and with but little 
transportation to bring up supplies of provisions and ammu- 
nition. I am doing all in my power to crush Hood's army, 
and, if it be possible, will destroy it. But pursuing an enemy 
through an exhausted country, over mud roads completely 
sogged with heavy rains, is no child's play, and cannot be 



202 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

accomplished as quickly as thought of. I hope, in urging 
me to push the enemy, the Department remembers that Gen- 
eral Sherman took with him the complete organization of the 
Military Division of the Mississippi, well equipped in every 
respect as regards ammunition, supplies, and transportation, 
leaving me only two corps, partially stripped of their trans- 
portation to accommodate the force taken with him, to oppose 
the advance into Tennessee of that army which had resisted 
the advance of the Army of the Military Division of the Mis- 
sissippi on Atlanta from the commencement of the campaign till 
its close, and which is now in addition aided by Forrest's cav- 
alry. Although my progress may appear slow, I feel assured 
that Hood's army can be driven from Tennessee, and eventually 
driven to the wall, by the force under my command. But too 
much must not be expected from troops which have to be re- 
organized, especially when they have the task of destroying a 
force in a winter's campaign which was able to make an ob- 
stinate resistance to twice its numbers in spring and summer. 
In conclusion, I can safely state that the army is willing to 
submit to any sacrifice to oust Hood's army, or to strike any 
other blow which may contribute to the destruction of the 
Rebellion. 

[Signed] " Geoege H. Thomas, 

" Major-General." 



" City Point, December 22, 1864. 

" Major-General George H. Thomas : 

" You have the congratulations of the public for the energy 
with which you are pushing Hood. I hope you will succeed 
in reaching his pontoon-bridge at Tuscumbia before he gets 
there. Should you do so, it looks to me that Hood is cut off. 
If you succeed in destroying Hood's army, there will be but 



CONFIDENCE OF SECRETARY STANTON. 203 

one army left to the so-called Confederacy capable of doing 
us harm. I will take care of that and try to draw tlie sting 
from it, so that in the spring we shall have easy sailing. You 
have now a big opportunity, which I know you are availing 
yourself of. Let us push and do all we can before the 
enemy can derive benefit either from the raising of negro 
troops on the plantations or white troops now in the field. 
[Signed] "U.S. Grant, 

" Lieutenant-General." 



" Washington, December 22, 1864, 9 p.m. 

" Major-General George H. Thomas : 

" I have seen to-day General Halleck's despatch of yester- 
day and your reply. It is proper for me to assure you that 
this Department has the most unbounded confidence iu your 
skill, vigor, and determination to employ to the best advan- 
tage all the means in your power to pursue and destroy the 
enemy. No Department could be inspired with more pro- 
found admiration and thankfulness for the great deed which 
you have already performed, or piore confiding faith that 
human effort could do no more, and no more than will be 
done by you and the accomplished, gallant officers and sol- 
diers of your command. 

[Signed] " E. M. Stanton." 



" Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 

" Columbia, December 23, 18(54, 8 p.m. 

" Hon. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C. : 
" Your two despatches of 9 p.m. of 22d are received. I 
am profoundly thankful for the hearty expression of your con- 
fidence in my determination and desire to do all in my power 
to destroy the enemy and put down the Rebellion, and in 



204 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

the name of this army I thank you for the complimentary 
notice you have taken of all connected with it for the deeds 
of valor they have performed. . . . 

[Signed] " George H. Thomas, 

" Major-General U. S. Vols., Commanding." 



To return to the morning of December 17, 1864. General 
Thomas continued the pursuit, sending Wood with the 
Fourth Corps in the direction of Franklin by the direct 
road. Wilson's cavalry moved out on the Granny White 
pike to its intersection with the Franklin pike. At that 
point he took the advance. Johnson's division of cavalry 
moved on the Hillsboro' pike to the Harpeth River, with 
instructions to cross it and move by the south bank on Frank- 
lin. When he reached the hills overlooking the town he 
found that the main column of our cavalry was attempting to 
get possession of the bridge over the Harpeth. Captain Frank 
G. Smith, a gallant officer of the regular artillery, was 
instructed to bring his battery into action and open upon the 
enemy. This was handsomely executed, and as soon as his 
shot and shell reached the enemy's lines there was a general 
stampede of the Confederate army. Quick as possible Wil- 
son pushed over the bridge, and was joined at once by John- 
son's division, and then a running fight took place for a dis- 
tance of five miles or more. The cavalry captured a large 
number of prisoners, artillery, and small-arms. Under the 
cover of night many of the Confederates who would have 
been captured had night not intervened were enabled to make 
good their escape. For several days it had rained in torrents, 



THE PRESSURE ON THOMAS. 205 

flooding the creeks, wasliing away bridges, and rendering 
many of the streams impassable. Hood had a pontoon-train 
with him, and was enabled to use it and then take it up be- 
fore the Federal advance could come up to him. Thomas 
pushed his columns forward as rapidly as possible, but, not- 
withstanding his energy and activity, which he seemed to have 
infused into his commanders and men, the enemy succeeded 
in reaching the south bank of the Tennessee River and be- 
yond the reach of the victorious pursuers. Thus had Thomas 
been successful, and thus had the fears of the Lieutenant-Gen- 
eral and the Secretary of War that " Hood would march to 
the Ohio," and that " Gabriel would blow his trumpet before 
AVilson got his cavalry mounted," proven to have had no 
foundation in any reasonable possibility. 

The great anxiety on the part of General Grant that the 
third army of the enemy should be broken up and destroyed 
was natural enough, in order that it might not interfere with 
other plans on other fields; but the intense anxiety of the 
Secretary that Thomas should rush into battle unprepared is 
not so easily understood, unless it was simply the reflection 
of General Grant's views from Washington instead of City 
Point. However, any one at all acquainted with Mr. Stanton 
will give him credit for good intentions and an earnest desire 
to close out the Rebellion in the very shortest time. If he 
seemed unreasonably enthusiastic, it was due to his deep-seated 
loyalty to the old government, which he wished to see restored, 
and no man labored more faithfully to secure its restoration. 
His labors as War Secretary during the great Rebellion were 
overwhelming. For months he slept at his ofiice, working 



206 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

until two or three o'clock in the morning and rising before 
the sun ; and while many of his assistants broke down, he bore 
the brunt of the burden with inflexible courage and perse- 
verance. He has passed away ; so let us forget his faults, 
but remember his sterling integrity and great services to the 
nation during the war of the Rebellion and class him among 
the patriotic great men of that eventful period. 

After the last armed enemy had been driven out of the State 
of Tennessee, Thomas issued the followino- stirriuo^ address 
to his victorious army : 

" Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, 
" Pulaski, Tenn., December 29, 1864. 
"General Orders No. 109. 

" Soldiers, — The Major-General Commanding announces 
to you that the rear-guard of the flying and dispirited enemy 
was driven across the Tennessee River on the night of the 
27th instant. The impassable state of the roads and conse- 
quent impossibility to supply the army compels a closing of 
the campaign for the present. 

" Although short, it has been brilliant in its achievements 
and unsurpassed in its results by any other of this war, and 
is one of which all who participated therein may be justly 
proud. That veteran army which, though driven from posi- 
tion to position, opposed a stubborn resistance to much 
superior numbers during the whole of the Atlanta campaign, 
taking advantage of the largest portion of the army which 
had been opposed to it in Georgia, invaded Tennessee, buoy- 
ant with hope, expecting Nashville, Murfreesboro', and the 
whole of Tennessee and Kentucky to fall into its power an 
easy prey, and scarcely fixing a limit to its conquests. After 
having received at Franklin the most terrible check that 



ADDRESS TO HIS VICTORIOUS ARMY. 207 

army has received during the war, and later at Murfrees- 
l)oro', in its attempt to capture that place, it was finally at- 
tacked at Nashville, and, although your forces were inferior 
to it in numbers, was hur'ed back from the coveted prize on 
which it had been permitted to look from a distance, and 
finally sent flying, dismayed, and disordered whence it came, 
impelled by the instincts of self-preservation, and thinking 
only of how it could relieve itself for short intervals from 
your persistent and harassing pursuit by burning the bridges 
over the swollen streams as it passed them, until finally it 
had placed the broad waters of the Tennessee River between 
you and its shattered, diminished, and discomfited columns, 
leaving its artillery and battle-flags in your victorious hands, 
lasting trophies of your noble daring and lasting monuments 
of the enemy's disgrace and defeat. 

" You have diminished the forces of the rebel army since 
it crossed the Tennessee River to invade the State, at the 
least estimate, fifteen thousand men, among whom were — 
killed, wounded, and captured — eighteen general oflEicers. 

"Your captures from the enemy, as far as reported, 
amount to sixty-eight pieces of artillery, ten thousand 
prisoners, as many stand of small-arms, — several thousand of 
which have been gathered in, and the remainder strew the 
route of the enemy's retreat, — and between thirty and forty 
flags, besides compelling him to destroy much ammunition 
and abandon many wagons ; and, unless he is mad, he must 
forever abandon all hope of bringing Tennessee again within 
the lines of the accursed rebellion. A short time will now 
be given you to prepare to continue the work so nobly begun. 

" By command of Major-General Thomas. 

[Signed] " William D. Whipple, 

" Assistant Adjutant-General." 



208 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

General Thomas allowed his men but few clays of rest 
before starting them on tliat grand swoop over the Southern 
States. Posting his infantry at various points, the cavalry 
under General Wilson followed Hood's line of retreat, fre- 
quently coming up with the rear-guard, capturing many men, 
a large number of pieces of artillery, and many stand of 
small-arms. The capture of Mr. Davis, though not made by 
General Thomas in person, was made by the cavalry under 
his general direction. It should be remembered, however, 
that General Thomas had a very able and skilful cavalry 
commander, a man young in years, but larger in experience 
and good judgment, brave, dashing, and ambitious to excel 
in everything he undertook. When Wilson took charge of 
the cavalry he made it efficient by infusing his own indomi- 
table spirit into the officers and men composing the corps. 

It was a part of Wilson's cavalry at the battle of Nash- 
ville which dismounted and charged the enemy's intrench- 
ments, driving their occupants out in great confusion. Wilson 
organized the cavalry in tlie Military Division of the Missis- 
sippi, and made of it what Sheridan made of the cavalry of 
the Army of the Potomac, — an effective body of men, — and 
elevated it from train-guards to form a powerful factor in the 
fighting force of the army. 

The following, taken from a report of Major-General 
Thomas referring to the battle of Nashville, is inserted as 
being the best account of the movements preceding and fol- 
lowing that conflict attainable, and will prove interesting to 
the military reader : 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 209 

" Both armies wore ice-bound for a week previous to the 
14th December, when the weather moderated. Being pre- 
pared to move, I called a meeting of the corps commanders 
on the afternoon of that day, and having discussed the plan 
of attack until thoroughly understood, the following Special 
Field Orders No. 342 were issued : 

"'Par. IV. As soon as the state of the weather will admit 
of offensive operations the troops will move against the enemy's 
position in the following order : Major-Gcneral A. J. Smith, 
commanding detachment of the Army of the Tennessee, after 
forming his troops on and near the Hardin pike in front of his 
present position, will make a vigorous assault on the enemy's 
left. Major-General Wilson, commanding the Cavalry Corps, 
Military Division of the Mississippi, with three divisions, will 
move on and support General Smith's right, assisting as far 
as possible in carrying the left of the enemy's position, and 
be in readiness to throw his force upon the enemy the moment 
a favorable opportunity occurs. INIajor-General Wilson will 
also send one division on the Charlotte pike to clear that road 
of the enemy, and observe in the direction of Bell's Landing 
to protect our right rear until the enemy's position is fairly 
turned, w^hen it will rejoin the main force. Brigadier-General 
T. J. Wood, commanding Fourth Army Corps, after leaving 
a strong skirmish-line in his works from Lawrens' Hill to his 
extreme right, will form the remainder of the Fourth Corps on 
the Hillsboro' pike, to support General Smith's left and operate 
on the left and rear of the enemy's advanced position on the 
Montgomery Hill. Major-General Schofield, commanding 
Twenty-thircl Army Corps, will replace Brigadier-General 
Kimball's division of the Fourth Corps with his troops, and 
occupy the trenches from Fort Negley to Lawrens' Hill with 
a strong skirmish-line. He will move the remainder of his 
force in front of the works and co-operate with General Wood, 

14 



210 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

protecting tb.e latter's left flank against an attack by the enemy. 
Major-General Steedman, commanding District of Etowah, 
will occupy th>e interior line in rear of his present position, 
stretching from the reservoir on the Cumberland River to Fort 
Negley, with a strong skirmish-line, and mjiss tiie remainder 
of his force in its present position to act according to the exi- 
gencies which may arise during these operations. Brigadier- 
General Miller, with the troops forming the garrison of Nash- 
ville, will occupy the interior line from the battery on Hill 210 
to the extreme right, including the enclosed work on the Hyde's 
Ferry road. The quartermaster's troops, under command of 
Brigadier-General Donaldson, will, if necessary, be posted on 
the interior line from Fort Morton to the battery on Hill 
210. The troops occupying the interior line will be under 
the direction of Major-General Steedman, who is charged with 
the immediate defence of Nashville during the operations 
around the city. Should the weather permit, the troops Avill 
be formed to commence operations at 6 a.m. on the 15th, or 
as soon thereafter as practicable.' 

" On the mornino; of the 15th December, the weather beino; 
favorable, the army was formed and ready at an early hour 
to carry out the plan of battle promulgated in the special field 
orders of the 14th. The formation of the troops was ]iar- 
tially concealed from the enemy by the broken nature of the 
ground, as also by a dense fog which only lifted towards 
noon. The enemy was apparently totally unaware of any 
intention on our part to attack his position, and more espe- 
cially did he seem not to expect any movement against his 
left flank. To divert his attention still further from our real 
intentions, Major-General Steedman had, on the evening of 
the 14th, received orders to make a heavy demonstration with 
his command against the enemy's right, east of the Nolensville 
pike, which he accomplished with great success and some loss, 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 211 

succeeding, however, in attracting the enemy's attention to 
that part of his line and inducing him to draw reinforcements 
from towards his centre and left. As soon as General Steed- 
man had completed his movement, the commands of Generals 
Smith and Wilson moved out along the Hardin pike and 
commenced the grand movement of the day by wheeling to 
tiie left and advancing against the enemy's position across the 
Hardin and Hillsboro' pikes. A division of cavalry (John- 
son's) was sent at the same time to look after a battery of tlie 
enemy on the Cumberland River at Bell's Landing, eight 
miles below Nashville. General Johnson did not get into 
position until late in the afternoon, when, in conjunction with 
the gunboats under Lieutenant-Commander Leroy Fitch, the 
enemy's battery was engaged until after nightfall, and the 
place was found evacuated on the morning of the IGth. The 
remainder of General Wilson's conmiand. Hatch's division 
leading and Knipe's in reserve, moving on the right of Gen- 
eral A. J. Smith's troops, first struck the enemy along Rich- 
land Creek, near Hardin's house, and drove him back rapidly, 
capturing a number of prisoners, wagons, etc., and continuing 
to advance, while slightly swinging to the left, came upon a 
redoubt containing four guns, which was splendidly carried 
by assault at 1 p.m. by a portion of Hatch's division dis- 
mounted, and the captured guns turned upon the enemy. A 
second redoubt, stronger than the first, was next assailed and 
carried by the same troops that captured the first position, 
taking four more guns and about 300 prisoners. The infantry, 
McArthur's division of General Smith's command, on the left 
of the cavalry, participated in both of the assaults, and, in- 
deed, the dismounted cavalry seemed to vie with the infantry 
who should first gain the works. As they reached the posi- 
tion nearly simultaneously, both lay claim to the artillery and 
prisoners captured. Finding General Smith had not taken as 



212 MEMOIR OF MA J.- GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

much distance to the right as I expected he would have done, 
I directed General Schofield to move his command (the 
Twenty-third Corps) from the position in reserve to which 
it had been assigned over to the right of General Smith, 
enabling the cavalry thereby to operate more freely in the 
enemy's rear. This was rapidly accomplished by General 
Schofield, and his troops participated in the closing operations 
of the day. The Fourth Corps, Brigadier-General T. J. 
Wood commanding, on the left of General Smith's command, 
as soon as the latter had struck the enemy's flank, assanlted 
the Montgomery Hill, Hood's most advanced position, at 1 
P.M., which was most gallantly executed by the Third Brigade, 
Second Division, Colonel P. Sidney Post, Fifty-ninth Illinois, 
commanding, capturing a considerable number of prisoners. 
Connecting with the left of Smith's troops (Brigadier-General 
Garrard's division), the Fourth Corps continued to advance 
and carried by assault the enemy's entire line in its front, and 
captured several pieces of artillery, about 500 prisoners, some 
stands of colors and other materials. The enemy was driven 
out of his original line of works and forced back to a new 
position along the base of Harpeth Hills, still holding his line 
of retreat to Franklin by the main pike through Brentwood 
and by the Granny AVhite pike. Our line at nightfall was 
readjusted, running parallel to and east of the Hillsboro' pike, 
Schofield's command on the right, Smith's in the centre, and 
Wood's on the left, with the cavalry on the right of Schofield, 
Steedman holding the position he had gained early in the 
morning. The total result of the day's operations was the 
capture of 16 pieces of artillery and 1200 prisoners, besides 
several hundred stands of small-arms and about 40 wagons. 
The enemy had been forced back at all points with heavy loss. 
Our casualties were unusually light. The behavior of the 
troops was unsurpassed for steadiness and alacrity in every 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 213 

movement, and the original plan of battle, with but few alter- 
ations, strictly adhered to. The whole command bivouacked 
in line of battle during the night on the ground occupied at 
dark, while preparations were made to renew the battle at an 
early hour on the morrow. 

"At 6 A.M. on the 16th, Wood's corps pressed back the 
enemy's skirmishers across the Franklin pike to the eastward 
of it, and then, swinging slightly to the right, advanced due 
south from Nashville, driving the enemy before him until he 
came upon his new main line of M^orks, constructed during 
the night on what is called Overton's Hill, about five miles 
south of the city and east of the Franklin pike. General 
Steedman moved out from Nashville by the Nolensville pike 
and formed his command on the left of General Wood, 
effectually securing the latter's left flank, and made prepara- 
tions to co-operate in the operations of the day. General A. 
J. Smith's command moved on the right of the Fourth Corps 
(Wood's), and, establishing connection with General Wood's 
right, completed the new line of battle. General Schofi eld's 
troops remained in the position taken up by them at dark on 
the day previous, facing eastward and towards the enemy's 
left flank, the line of the corps running perpendicular to 
General Smith's troops. General Wilson's cavalry, which 
had rested for the night at the six-mile post on the Hills- 
boro' pike, was dismounted and formed on the right of 
S(;hofield's command, and by noon of the 16th had succeeded 
in gaining the enemy's rear and stretched across the Granny 
White pike, one of his two outlets towards Franklin. As 
soon as the above dispositions were completed, and having 
visited the different commands, I gave directions that the 
movement against the enemy's left flank should be continued. 
Our entire line approached to within six hundred yards of 
the enemy's at all points. His centre was weak as compared 



214 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

to either liis right at Overton's Hill, or his left on the hills 
bordering the Granny White pike; still, I had hopes of gain- 
incr his rear and cutting oifhis retreat from Franklin. About 
3 P.M. Post's brigade of Wood's corps, supported by Streight's 
brigade of the same command, was ordered by General Wood 
to assault Overton's Hill. This intention was communicated to 
General Steedman, who ordered the brigade of colored troops 
commanded by Colonel C. R. Thompson, Twelfth United 
States Colored Troops, to co-operate in the movement. The 
ground on which the two assaulting columns formed being 
open and exposed to the enemy's view, he readily perceiving 
our intention, drew reinforcements from his left and centre 
to the threatened point. This movement of troops on the 
part of the enemy was communicated along the line from left 
to right. The assault Avas made and received by the enemy 
with tremendous fire of grape and canister and musketry. 
Our men moved steadily onward up the hill until near the 
crest, when the reserve of the enemy rose and poured into the 
assaulting column a most destructive fire, causing the men first 
to waver and then to fall back, leaving their dead and 
w^ounded, black and white indiscriminately mingled, lying 
amidst the abatis, the gallant Colonel Post among the 
wounded. General Wood readily reformed his command in 
the position it had previously occupied, preparatory to a re- 
newal of the assault. Immediately following the eifort of 
the Fourth Corps, Generals Smith's and Schofield's commands 
moved against the enemy's works in their respective fronts, 
carrying all before them, irreparably breaking his lines in a 
dozen places and capturing all his artillery and thousands of 
prisoners, among the latter four general officers. Our loss was 
remarkably small, scarcely mentionable. All of the enemy 
that did escape were pursued over the tops of Brentwood and 
Harpeth Hills. General Wilson's cavalry, dismounted, at- 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 215 

tacked the enemy simultaneously with Schofield and Smith, 
striking him in reserve, and gaining firm possession of 
Granny White pike, cut off his retreat by that route. Wood's 
and Steedman's troops hearing the shouts of victory coming 
from the right, rushed impetuously forward, renewing the 
assault on Overton's Hill, and although meeting a very heavy 
fire, the onset was irresistible, artillery and many prisoners 
falling into our hands. The enemy, hopelessly broken, fled 
in confusion through the Brentwood Pass, the Fourth Corps 
in close pursuit, which was continued for several miles, when 
darkness closed the scene and the troops rested from their 
labors. As the Fourth Corps pursued the enemy on the 
Franklin Pike, General Wilson hastily mounted Knipe's and 
Hatch's divisions of his command and directed them to 
pursue along the Granny White pike and endeavor to reach 
Franklin in advance of the enemy. After proceeding about 
a mile they came upon the enemy's cavalry, under Chalmers, 
posted across the road and behind barricades. The position 
was charged by the Twelfth Tennessee Cavalry, Colonel 
Spaulding commanding, and the enemy's lines broken, scat- 
tering him in all directions and capturing quite a number of 
prisoners, among them Brigadier-General E. W. Rucker. 
During the two days' operations there were 4462 prisoners 
captured, including 287 officers of all grades from that of 
major-general, 53 pieces of artillery, and thousands of small- 
arms. The enemy abandoned on the field all of his dead and 
wounded. 

" Leaving directions for the collection of the captured 
property and for the care of the wounded left on the battle- 
field, the pursuit was continued at daylight on the 17th. The 
Fourth Corps pushed on towards Franklin by the direct pike, 
while the cavalry moved by the Granny White pike to its 
intersection with the Franklin pike, and then took the ad- 



216 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEX. GEORGE II. THOMAS. 

vance. Johnson's division of cavalry was sent by General 
AVilson direct to Plarpeth River, on the Hillsboro' pike, with 
directions to cross and move rapidly towards Franklin. The 
main cavalry column, with Knipe's division in advance, 
came up with the enemy's rear-guard strongly posted at 
Hollow-Tree Gap, four miles north of Franklin. The position 
was charged in front'aud in flank simultaneously and hand- 
somely carried, capturing 413 prisoners and three colors. The 
enemy then fell back raj)idly to Franklin, and endeavored to 
defend the crossing of Harpeth River at that place, but John- 
son's division coming up from below, on the south side of 
the stream, forced him to retire from the river bank, and our 
cavalry took possession of the town, capturing the enemy's 
hospitals, contaiuing over 2000 wounded, of whom about 
200 were our own men. The pursuit was immediately con- 
tinued by "Wilson towards Columbia, the enemy's rear-guard 
slowly retiring before him to a distance of about five miles 
south of Franklin, where the enemy made a stand in some 
open fields just north of West Harpeth River, and seemed to 
await our coming. Deploying Knii^e's division as skir- 
mishers, with Hatch's in close support. General Wilson or- 
dered his body-guard, the Fourth United States Cavalry, 
Lieutenant Hedges commanding, to charge the enemy. 
Forming on the pike in columns of fours, the gallant little 
command charged with sabres drawn, breaking the enemy's 
centre, while Knipe's and Hatch's men pressed back his 
flaidvs, scattering his whole command and causing them to 
abandon their artillery. Darkness coming on during the 
engagement enabled a great many to escape, and jnit an end 
to the day's operations. The Fourth Corps, under General 
Wood, followed immediately in rear of the cavalry as far as 
Harpeth River, where it found the bridges destroyed and too 
much water on the fords for infantry to cross. A trestle- 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 217 

bridge was hastily constructed from such materials as lay at 
liand, but could not be made available before nightfall. 
General Steedman's command moved in rear of General 
Wood, and camped near him on the banks of the Harpeth. 
Generals Smith and Schofield marched with their corj)s along 
the Granny White pike, and camped for the night at the in- 
tersection with the Franklin pike. The trains moved with 
their respective commands, carrying ten days' su])plies and 
one hundred rounds of ammunition. 

*' On the 18th the })ursuit of the enemy was continued by 
General Wilson, who pushed on as far as Kutherford's Creek, 
three miles from Columbia. Wood's corps crossed to the 
south side of Harpeth River and closed up with the cavalry. 
The enemy did not offer to make a stand during the day. On 
arriving at Rutherford's Creek the stream was found to be 
impassable on account of high water, and running a perfect 
torrent. A pontoon-bridge, hastily constructed at Nashville 
during the presence of the army at that place, was on its way 
to the front, but the bad condition of tiie roads, together with 
the iucora[)leteness of the train itself, had retarded its arrival. 
I would here remark that the splendid pontoon-train prop- 
erly belonging to my command, with its trained corps of 
pontoniers, was absent with General Sherman. 

"During the 19th several unsuccessful efforts were made 
by the advance troops to cross Rutherford's Creek, although 
General Hatch succeeded in lodging a few skirmishers on the 
south bank. The heavy rains of the preceding few days had 
inundated the whole country, and rendered the roads almost 
impassable. Smith's and Schofield's commands crossed to the 
south side of Harpeth River, General Smith advancing to 
Spring Hill, while General Schofield encamped at Franklin. 

"On the morning of the 20th General Hatch constructed 
a floating bridge from the debris of the old railroad-bridge 



218 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

over Rutherford's Creek, and, crossing his entire division, 
pushed out for Cohimhia, but found, on reaching Duck River, 
the enemy had succeeded the night before in getting every- 
thing across, and had already removed his }3ontoon- bridge. 
Duck River was very nuich swollen, and impassable without 
a bridge. During the day General Wood improvised a ibot- 
bridffe over Rutherford's Creek, at the old railroad-bridy-e, 
and by nightfall had succeeded in crossing his infantry entire 
and one or two of his batteries, and moved forward to Duck 
River. The pontoon-train coming up to Rutherford's Creek 
about noon of the 21st, a bridge was laid during the after- 
noon and General Smith's troops were enabled to cross. The 
weather had changed from dismal rain to bitter cold, very 
materially retarding the work in laying the bridge, as the 
regiment of colored troops to whom that duty Avas entrusted 
seemed to become unmanned by the cold and totally unequal 
to the occasion. On the completion of the bridge at Ruth- 
erford's Creek, sufficient material for a bridge over Duck 
River was hastily pushed forward to that point, and the 
bridge constructed in time to enable Wood to cross late in 
the afternoon of the 22d and get into position on the Pulaski 
road, about two miles south of Columbia. The water in the 
river fell rapidly during the construction of the bridge, ne- 
cessitating frequent alterations and causing much delay. The 
enemy, in his hasty retreat, had thrown into the stream sev- 
eral fine pieces of artillery, which were rapidly becoming un- 
covered and were subsequently removed. Notwithstanding 
the many delays to which the command had been subject, I 
determined to continue the pursuit of Hood's shattered forces, 
and for this purpose decided to use General Wilson's cavalry 
and General Wood's corps of infantry, directing the infantry 
to move on the pike, while the cavalry marched on its either 
flank across the fields, the remainder of the command, Smith's 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 219 

and Schofield's corps, to move along more leisurely, and to be 
used as the occasion demanded. Forrest and iiis cavalry, and 
such other detachments as had been sent oif from his main 
army while besieging Nashville, had rejoined Hood at Co- 
lumbia. He had formed a po\yerful rear-guard, made up of 
detachments from all of his organized force, numbering about 
4000 infantry, under General Walthall, and all his available 
cavalry under Forrest. With the exception of his rear-guard, 
his army had become a disheartened and disorganized rabble of 
half-armed and barefooted men, who sought every opportunity 
to fall out by the wayside and desert their cause to put 
an end to their sufferings. The rear-guard, however, was 
undaunted and firm, and did its work bravely to the last. 

"During the 23d General Wilson was occupied crossing his 
command over Duck Eiver, but took the advance on the 
24th, supported by General Wood, and came up with the 
enemy just south of Lynnville, and also at Buford's Station, 
at both of which places the enemy made a short stand, but 
was speedily dislodged with some loss in killed, wounded, and 
prisoners. Our advance was so rapid as to prevent the 
destruction of the bridges over Richland Creek. 

" Christmas morning (the 25th) the enemy, with our cav- 
alry at his heels, evacuated Pulaski and was pursued towards 
Lamb's Ferry, over an almost impracticable road and through 
a country devoid of sustenance for man and beast. During 
the afternoon Harrison's brigade found the enemy strongly 
intrenched at the head of a heavily wooded and deep ravine, 
through which ran the road, and into which Colonel Harrison 
drove the enemy's skirmishers. He then waited for the re- 
mainder of the cavalry to close up before attacking; but be- 
fore this could be accomplished the enemy, with something of 
his former boldness, sallied from his breastworks and drove 
back Harrison's skirmishers, capturing and carrying off one 



220 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

gun belonging to Battery I, Fourth United States Artillery, 
which was not recovered by us, notwithstanding the ground 
lost was almost immediately regained. By nightfall the 
enemy was driven from his position with a loss of about 50 
prisoners. The cavalry had moved so rapidly as to outdis- 
tance the trains, and both men and animals were suffering 
greatly in consequence, although they continued uncomplain- 
ingly to pursue the enemy. General Wood's corps kept well 
closed up on the cavalry, camping on the night of December 
25th six miles out of Pulaski, on the Lamb's Ferry road, and, 
pursuing the same route as the cavalry, reached Lexington, 
Alabama, thirty miles from Pulaski, on the 28th, on which 
date, having definitely ascertained that the enemy had made 
good his escape across the Tennessee at Bainbridge, I directed 
further pursuit to cease. At Pulaski the enemy's hospital, 
containing about two hundred patients, fell into our hands, and 
four guns were found in Richland Creek. About a mile south 
of the town he destroyed twenty wagons loaded with ammuni- 
tion, belonging to Cheatham's corps, taking the animals be- 
longing to the trains to help to pull his pontoons. The road 
from Pulaski to Bainbridge, and indeed back to Nashville, 
was strewn with abandoned wagons, limbers, small-arms, 
blankets, etc., showing most conclusively the disorder of the 
enemy's retreat. During the foregoing operations with the 
advance. Smith's and Schofield's troops were in motion to- 
wards the front, General Smith's command reaching Pulaski 
on the 27th, while General Schofield was directed to remain 
at Columbia for the time being. 

"On our arrival at Franklin, on the 18th, I gave directions 
to General Steedman to move with his command across the 
country from that point to Murfreesboro', on the Chattanooga 
Pailroad, from whence he was to proceed by rail to Decatur, 
Alabama, via Stevenson, being joined at Stevenson by Briga- 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 221 

dier-General R. S. Granger and the troops composing the 
garrisons of Huntsville, Athens, and Decatur. Taking gen- 
eral direction of the whole force, his instructions were to 
reoccupy the points in Northern Alabama evacuated at the 
period of Hood's advance, then cross the Tennessee with the 
balance of his force and threaten the enemy's railroad com- 
munications west of Florence. General Steedman reoccupied 
Decatur on the 27th, and proceeded to carry out the second 
portion of his instructions, finding, however, that the enemy 
had already made good his escape to the south side of the 
Tennessee, and any movement on his railroad would be use- 
less. On announcing the result of the battles to Rear-Ad- 
miral S. P. Lee, commanding Mississippi Squadron,! requested 
him to send as much of his force as he could spare around to 
Florence, on the Tennessee River, and endeavor to prevent 
Hood's army from crossing at that point, which request was 
most cordially and promptly complied with. He arrived at 
Chickasaw, Mississippi, on the 24th, destroyed there a rebel 
battery, and captured two guns, with caissons, at Florence Land- 
ing. He also amiounced the arriv^al at the latter place of 
several transports with provisions. Immediately upon learn- 
ing of the presence at Chickasaw, Mississippi, of the gun- 
boats and transports M-ith provisions, I directed General 
Smith to march overland from Pulaski to Clifton, via Law- 
renceburg and Waynesboro', and take post at Eastport, 
Mississippi. General Smith started for his destination on 
December 29. 

" On the 30th of December I announced to the army the 
successful completion of the campaign, and gave directions for 
the disposition of the command, as follows : Smith's corps to 
take post at Eastport, Mississipi)i ; Wood's corps to be con- 
centrated at Huntsville and Athens, Alabama ; Schofield's 
corps to proceed to Dal ton, Georgia; and Wilson's cavalry, 



222 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

after sending one division to Eastport, Mississippi, to concen- 
trate the balance at or near Huntsville. On reaching the 
several positions assigned them, the dilferent commands were 
to go into winter quarters and recuperate for the spring cam- 
paign. The above not meeting the views of the general-in- 
chief, and being notified by Major-General Halleck, Chief of 
Staff, United States Army, that it was not intended for the 
army in Tennessee to go into winter quarters, orders were 
issued on the 31st December for Generals Schofield, Smith, 
and Wilson to concentrate their commands at Eastport, Mis- 
sissippi, and that of General Wood at Huntsville, Alabama, 
preparatory to a renewal of the campaign against the enemy 
in Mississippi and Alabama. During the active operations 
of the main army in Middle Tennessee, General Stoneman's 
forces in the northeastern portion of the State were also very 
actively engaged in operating against Breckenridge, Duke, 
and Vaughn. Having quickly concentrated the commands 
of Generals Burbridge and Gillem at Bean's Station, on the 
12th of December General Stoneman started for Bristol, his 
advance, under General Gillem, striking the enemy, under 
Duke, at Kingsport, on the north fork of the Holston River, 
killing, capturing, or dispersing tlie whole command. Gen- 
eral Stoneman then sent General Burbridge to Bristol, where 
he came upon the enemy under Vaughn, and skirmished with 
him until the remainder of the troops (Gillem's column) came 
up, when Burbridge was pushed on to Abingdon, with in- 
structions to send a force to cut the railroad at some point 
between Saltville and Wythevillc, in order to ]nx'vent rein- 
forcements coming from Lynchburg to the salt-works. Gil- 
lem also reached Abingdon on the 15th, the enemy under 
Vaughn following on a road parallel to the one used by our 
forces. Having decided merely to make a demonstration 
against the salt-works, and to push on with the main force 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 223 

after Vanglin, General Gillem struck the enemy at Marion 
early on the 16th, and after completely routhig him, pursued 
him to Wytheville, Virginia, capturing all his artillery and 
trains and one hundred and ninety-eight prisoners. Wythe- 
ville, with its stores and supplies, was destroyed, and also the 
extensive lead-works near the town and the railroad-bridge 
over Reedy Creek. General Stoneman then turned his atten- 
tion towards Saltville and its important salt-works. The 
g:u-rison of that place, reinforced by Gittner's, Cosby 's, and 
Witcher's commands, and the remnant of Duke's, all under 
the command of Breckenridge in person, followed our troops 
as they moved on Wytheville, and in returning General Stone- 
man met them at Marion, where he made preparations to give 
Breckenridge battle, and disposed his command so as to effect- 
ually assault the enemy in the morning; but Breckenridge 
retreated during the night, and was pursued a short distance 
into North Carolina, our troops capturing some of his wagons 
and caissons. General Stoneman then moved on Saltville 
with his entire command, capturing at that place eight pieces 
of artillery and a large amount of ammunition of all kinds, 
two locomotives, and quite a number of horses and mules. 
The extensive salt-works were destroyed by breaking the 
kettles, filling the wells with rubbish, and burning the build- 
ings. This work accomplished, General Stoneman returned 
to Knoxville, accompanied by General Gillem's command, 
General Burbridge proceeding to Kentucky by way of Cum- 
berland Gap. The country marched over was laid waste to 
prevent its being used again by the enemy; all mills, factories, 
bridges, etc., being destroyed. The command had everything 
to contend with as far as the weather and roads were con- 
cerned, yet the troops bore up cheerfully throughout, and 
made each twenty-four hours an average march of forty- 
two and a half miles. The pursuit of Hood's retreating army 



224 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

was discontinued by my main forces on the 29th December. 
On reaching the Tennessee River, however, a force of cavalry 
numbering six hundred men, made up from detachments of 
the Fifteenth Pennsylvania, Second Michigan, Tenth, Twelfth, 
and Thirteenth Indiana Regiments, under command of Colo- 
nel W. J. Palmer, Fifteenth Pennsylvania, operating with 
Steedman's column, started from Decatur, Alabama, in the 
direction of Hood's line of retreat in Mississippi. The enemy's 
cavalry, under Roddy, was met at Leighton, with M'hom 
Colonel Palmer skirmished and pressed back in small squads 
towards the mountains. Here it was ascertained that Hood's 
trains passed through Leighton on the 28th of Deceml^er and 
moved oif towards Columbus, Mississippi. Avoiding the 
enemy's cavalry. Colonel Palmer left Leighton on the 31st of 
December, moved rapidly via Lagrange and Pussellville, and 
by the Cotton Gin road, and overtook the enemy's pontoon- 
train, consisting of 200 wagons and 78 pontoon-boats, when 
ten miles out from Russellville. This he destroyed. Having 
learned of a large supply-train on its way to Tuscumbia, 
Colonel Palmer started on the 1st of January towards Aber- 
deen, Mississippi, with a view of cutting it off, and succeeded 
in surprising it about 10 p.m. on the same evening, just over 
the line in Mississippi. The train consisted of one hundred 
and ten wagons and five hundred mules, the former of which 
were burned, and the latter sabred and shot. Returning via 
Tall Gate, Alabama, and on the old military and Hack- 
burg roads, the enemy, under Roddy, Biffles, and Russell, 
was met near Russellville and along Bear Creek, while 
another force, under Armstrong, was reported to be in pur- 
suit of our forces. Evading the force in his front by moving 
oif to the right under cover of the darkness, Colonel Palmer 
pushed for Moulton, and coming upon Russell when within 
twelve miles of Moulton, and near Thorn Hill, attacked him 



volumes 

carrier for: _ 



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idy Table: 
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go out: ..- 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 



225 



unexpectedly, utterly routing him and capturing some prisoners, 
besides burning five wagons. The command then proceeded 
to Decatur without molestation, and reached that place on the 
6th of January, after a march of over two hundred and fifty 
miles. One hundred and fifty prisoners were captured, and 
nearly one thousand stand of arms destroyed. Colonel Pal- 
mer's loss was one killed and two wounded. 

" General Hood, while investing Nashville, had sent into 
Kentucky a force of cavalry numbering about eight hun- 
dred men and two guns, under the command of Brigadier- 
General Lyon, with instructions to operate against our rail- 
road communication with Louisville. McCook's division 
of cavalry was detached on the 14th of December and sent 
to Bowling Green and Franklin to protect the road. After 
capturing Hopkinsville, Lyon was met by La Grange's 
brigade near Greenbury, and, after a sharp fight, was thrown 
into confusion, losing one gun, some prisoners and wagons. 
The enemy succeeded, however, by making a wide detour 
via Elizabethtown and Glasgow, in reaching the Cumber- 
land River and crossing at Burkeville, from whence General 
Lyon proceeded via McMinnville and Winchester, Ten- 
nessee, to Larkinsville, Alabama, on the Memphis and 
Charleston Railroad, and attacked the little garrison at 
Scottsboro' on the J 0th of January. Lyon was here repulsed 
and his command scattered, our troops pursuing him towards 
the Tennessee River, which, however, he, with about two hun- 
dred of his men and his remaining piece of artillery, succeeded 
in crossing. The rest of his command scattered in squads 
among the mountains. Colonel W. J. Palmer, commanding 
Fifteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry, with one hundred and fifty 
men, crossed the river at Paint Rock and pursued Lyon to 
near Red Hill, on the road from Warrenton to Tuscaloosa, at 
which place he surprised his camp during the night of the 

15 



226 MEMOIR OF MAJ..-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

14th of January, capturing Lyon himself, his one piece of 
artillery, and about one hundred of his men, with their horses. 
Lyon, being in bed at the time of his capture, asked his guard 
to permit him to dress himself, which was acceded to, when, 
watciiing his opportunity, he seized a pistol, shot the sentinel 
dead upon the spot, and escaped in the darkness. This was 
the only casualty during the expedition. 

" To Colonel Palmer and his command is accorded the 
credit of giving Hood's army the last blow of the campaign, 
at a distance of over two hundred miles from where w^e first 
struck the enemy on the 15th of December, near Nashville. 

" To all of my sub-commanders, Major- Generals Scho- 
field, Stanley, Rousseau, Steedman, Smith, and Wilson, and 
Brigadier-General Wood, their officers and men, I give ex- 
pression of my thanks and gratitude for their generous self- 
sacrifice and manly endurance under the most trying circum- 
stances, and in all instances. Too much praise cannot be 
accorded to an army which, hastily made up from the frag- 
ments of three separate commands, can successfully contend 
against a force numerically greater than itself and of more 
thoroughly solid organization, inflicting on it a most crushing 
defeat, almost an annihilation. Receiving instructions unex- 
pectedly from General Sherman, in September, to repair to 
Tennessee and assume general control of the defences of our 
line of communication in the rear of the Army of the Missis- 
sippi, and not anticipating a separation from my immediate 
command, the greater number of my staff-officers were left 
behind at Atlanta, and did not have an opportunity to join 
me. After General Sherman determined on making his march 
through Georgia before the communications were cut, I had 
with me Brigadier-General W. D. Whipple, my chief of staff; 
Surgeon George E. Cooper, medical director; Captains Henry 
Stone, Henry M. Cist, and Robert H. Ramsey, assistant adju- 



BATTLE OF NASHVILLE. 227 

tant-generais ; Captain H. C. Beman, acting chief commissary 
of subsistence ; Captains John P. Willard and S. C. Kellogg, 
aides-de-camp ; and Lieutenant M. J. Kelly, chief of couriers, 
all of whom rendered important service during the battles of 
the 15th and 16th, and during the pursuit. I cordially com- 
mend their services to favorable consideration. There were 
captured from the enemy during the various actions of which 
the foregoing report treats 13,189 prisoners of war, including 
7 general officers and nearly 1000 other officers of all grades, 
72 pieces of serviceable artillery, and battle-flags. Dur- 
ing the same period over 2000 deserters from the enemy were 
received, to whom the oath was administered. Our own loss 
will not exceed 10,000 in killed, wounded, and missing. 

" I have the honor to transmit herewith a consolidated 
return of casualties, the report of Colonel J. G. Parkhurst, 
provost-marshal-general, and that of Captain A. Mordecai, 
chief of ordnance. 

" I have the honor to be, colonel, very respectfully, 
" Your obedient servant, 

"George H. Thomas, 
" Major-General Commanding." 



CHAPTER IX. 

Thomas careful of those under Him — Never Sacrificed them Use- 
lessly — Votes of Thanks by Congress and Legislature of Tennessee — 
Medal presented by Latter — Promoted Major-General U.S.A. — Build- 
ing up Waste Places — Keconstructjon — Civil Duties — On Leave of Ab- 
sence — Headquarters removed to Louisville — Declines a Present from 
Admirers in Ohio — The Presidency — Brevet Kank Declined — Brevets 
conferred without much reference to Service — Dyer Court of Inquiry 
— Transferred to California — Inspects his Command — Visits his Old 
Post, Fort Yuma — Thomas as a Public Speaker. 

In every calling in life success alone must be the test, and 
when it is asserted that Thomas never lost a battle nor made 
any serious mistakes he must be accepted as one of the great 
leaders of the grand armies of the Union in the late Rebel- 
lion. If he was slow he was prudent. He was never known 
to rush madly into a passage-at-arras without first calculating 
the chances of success and the resulting consequences in case 
of defeat. He felt that the soldiers were placed under him 
not alone to be killed, but to win battles and die if necessary; 
but the first object was victory, and secondarily to that the 
preservation of his men, so that he could fight again the next 
hour if necessary. 

There is a popular belief that the importance of a battle 
is determined by the number of killed and wounded. One 
of the greatest feats of modern times was the capture of Vera 
228 



VOTES OF THANKS TO GENERAL THOMAS. 229 

Cruz and the castle of St. Juan d'Ulloa, which was accom- 
plished by General Winfield Scott without the loss of a man. 
This brilliant achievement was not applauded with half the 
enthusiasm that was accorded some of Taylor's battles, which 
were fought in his " Rough and Ready" style, and always 
with heavy loss. 

On March 3, 1865, the Senate and House of Representa- 
tives of the United States of America 

"Resolved, That the thanks of Congress are due and are 
hereby tendered to Major-General George H. Thomas, and 
the officers and soldiers under his command, for their skill and 
dauntless courage, by which the rebel army under General 
Hood was signally defeated and driven from the State of 
Tennessee." 

The Legislature of the State of Tennessee on November 
2, 1865, 

"Resolved, That the thanks of the General Assembly, in 
their own name, and in the name of the people of the State 
of Tennessee, be presented to Major-General George H. 
Thomas, and the officers and soldiers under his command, 
for his wise and spirited and their brave and patriotic con- 
duct in the battle of Nashville, in defence of the capitol of 
the State, in December, 1864, and that a gold medal be struck 
in commemoration of the great and decisive event and be 
presented to him." 

This magnificent gold medal, having General Thomas's 
bust on the adverse and on the reverse the State Capitol, 
with the motto, " I will hold the town till we starve," was 
presented to him with imposing ceremonies on the second 
anniversary of the battle of Nashville, Tennessee. 



230 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

The result of the battle of Nashville %vas the complete 
overthrow of Hood and his army, and the event so pleased 
the loyal people of the country and the authorities iu Wash- 
ington that Thomas was nominated to fill a vacancy in the 
grade of major-general in the United States Army. His 
nomination was confirmed without a dissenting vote, and thus 
\vas the faithful, worthy soldier, who came so near being re- 
lieved and sent away in disgrace, rewarded for his skill and 
bravery. What a terrible blow it would have been to him 
and to the cause had he been relieved ! It was a matter of 
no consequence who might have been designated to supplant 
him, he could not have filled his place and acquainted him- 
self with the true status of affairs and fought a battle sooner 
than Thomas did without running a serious risk of complete 
overthrow and defeat. One can scarce avoid shuddering at 
the contemplation of the momentous consequences of a defeat 
instead of a glorious victory at Nashville. True, Sherman's 
march had been successful, but the capture of Fort INIcAl- 
lister would not have compensated for a lodgment of Hood's 
army on the Ohio. 

Defeat at Nashville would have necessitated new campaigns, 
and the same bloody fields would have been, as a matter of 
course, fought over again. 

Thomas's success riveted some of the nails in the coffin of 
the Rebellion, and Sherman's march through Georgia and the 
Carolinas clinched a few more, while General Grant and 
General Sheridan, and the gallant officers and men under 
them, acting as undertakers, completed all other funeral ar- 
rangements and decently interred the corpse with military 



CIVIL DUTIES. 231 

honors under an aj^ple-tree at Appomattox. Thus was closed 
out one of the most gigantic rebellions ever concocted by the 
malice and machinations of designing men, — a rebellion 
which for fierceness and tenacity has no parallel in all the 
range of modern warfare. 

At the close of the war the graves of our dead billowed 
every battle-field from the Ohio to the ocean, and it was 
Thomas who conceived the idea of gathering them into 
national cemeteries. His suggestions were adopted, and the 
work commenced and continued until all were collected and 
assigned places in national burying-grounds. 

The close of the war imposed upon our commanders civil 
duties connected with the re-establishment of law and order, 
and the building up of the waste places which had known no 
law save military law for so many years. 

" Peace hath its victories no less renowned than war." 

It now became necessary for Thomas to lay aside in part 
his warlike garb to enter upon civil military duty. Civil 
government had to be re-established in all of the Southern 
States, and to him were assigned the States of Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. In the 
first-mentioned State the civil authority had never been over- 
thrown, but in the mountains and gorges of the State were a 
number of lawless persons, whose objects were to make forays 
upon the densely-settled counties, there to set all law at defi- 
ance by murder, robbery, and other violations of good order. 
These men claimed to be returned Confederates, which was 
not strictly true. They were men who avoided service in 
either army, preferring to live by robbing those upon whom 



232 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

they could depredate with impunity. Justice to the returned 
Confederates demands that it should be stated that they were, 
as a general rule, law-abiding. They had risked all and lost, 
and their early efforts, after the war, were directed towards pro- 
viding for themselves and families by some honest industry. 
True, some were not disposed to accept the results of the war, 
but this opposition seemed to come from those w'ho did little 
fighting to speak of when fighting was the order of the day. 

Each State under Thomas constituted a separate Military 
Department, and the five Departments made up the "Military 
Division of the Tennessee," with headquarters at Nashville. 
In the exercise of this command his patience and endurance 
were thoroughly tested. Questions of civil and military 
character came up for his decision requiring time and labor 
sufficient for a dozen men, but he proved himself on this, as 
on all other occasions, equal to the task before him. In 
Nashville he rented a house for his own occupancy and sent 
for his wife, who soon joined him. His residence was in a 
block, and on every pleasant evening he and the other occu- 
pants of the same building were in the habit of sitting on 
the front stoop or porch to enjoy the cool pleasant breezes. 
On one side of him was a man wlio had been known as a 
rebel, but who did not have the courage to fight for the prin- 
ciples which he pretended to hold so dear, and, in order to 
show his disloyal and unfriendly disposition, was every even- 
ing to be seen on his veranda, within handshaking distance 
of Thomas, of whose presence he affected not to be conscious. 
This was lost on Thomas, wlio did not care to be " bored" at 
that hour of the day wlien he preferred communion with 



DECLINES A PRESENT FROM ADMIRERS IN OHIO. 233 

himself or the members of his family. One evening, after 
the lapse of six months or more, this high-born Southern 
gentleman advanced very patronizingly to shake hands, 
when the general waved him back with the remark, " Too 
late, too late, sir ; you have sinned away your day of grace." 
The poor fellow withdrew, mortified beyond measure, and was 
never seen thereafter sitting on his porch or within view of 
General Thomas. 

Slowly the civil law was re-established, and as rapidly as 
possible all the volunteers were mustered out. When peace 
was fairly restored, Tiiomas applied for a leave of absence to 
enable him to visit his friends in the North, and afterwards 
to take a trip through Canada. Before leaving, he asked that 
his headquarters might be transferred to Louisville, Kentucky. 
His request was granted, and General W. D. Whipple, chief 
of staff, superintended the transfer of all the different branches 
of the service connected with the Military Division of the Ten- 
nessee, including the voluminous records appertaining to his 
own office. Suitable accommodations were secured and every- 
thing gotten in good running order before the general's return. 

About this time his friends and admirers in Cincinnati de- 
termined on raising a large sum of money as a present to 
him, in recognition of his valuable services during the war. 
As soon as he heard of it he wrote to some one prominent in 
the movement that he could not think for one moment of ac- 
cepting a present of that or any other character, that the 
government had richly rewarded him for all that he had done, 
and that, in fact, he had already received more than he de- 
served. He requested that all funds raised on his account, or 



234 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

that might be raised, be turned over, in such manner as the 
liberal, generous donors might see proper, to the widows and 
orphans made such by the war. 

On his return to Louisville he found everything in order, 
and he was much pleased with the change. 

About the time of his return he was greatly annoyed by 
the receipt of letters from politicians all over the North asking 
if he would consent to be a candidate for the Presidency of 
the United States, and to all of which he replied that under 
no circumstances would he consent to such a use of his name. 
The State of Tennessee, through her State Convention, de- 
clared unanimously for him, and as this was the first gun of 
the camjiaign, it was very apt to be followed by other States. 

But Thomas turned a deaf ear to the entreaties of politicians. 
The writer spoke to him on the subject, and suggested that he 
had better let public opinion have its own course, that if it 
was the desire of the loyal people of the country to elevate him 
to that exalted position he could not well decline to accept. 
His reply was that he had all he wanted, that he was too 
young to give up a life position for one of uncertainty, and 
that his whole life, so far as peace and quiet was concerned, 
would be broken up by entering into the political arena. 
Then, becoming somewhat animated, he said, " I will have 
nothing to do with politics. I am a soldier, and I know my 
duty; as a politician I would be lost. No, sir; not even if 
I were elected unanimously would I accept. I want to die 
with a fair record, and this I will do if I keep out of the sea 
of politics and cling to my proper profession." 

He was determined that there should not be a Thomas 



BREVET RANK DECLINED. 235 

" boom/' and his frequent letters declining the honor started 
the party managers to looking elsewhere for a Presidential 
aspirant. 

President Johnson having some misunderstanding with 
General Grant, resolved on relieving him from the command 
of the army. As there was no officer of even grade, it could 
only be done by conferring the brevet rank upon some one. 
Thomas was selected and his name forwarded to the Senate. 
Had the nomination been confirmed he would have been as- 
signed to duty according to his brevet rank, and then, under 
the law as it stood, he would have been eligible for appoint- 
ment to the supreme command. It will be remembered that 
in the early years of the war there were many major-generals 
appointed before they had earned their promotion, and after it 
was too late it was ascertained that many of them were in- 
efficient and unworthy of the high commands to which their 
rank entitled them. To obviate this a law was passed author- 
izing the assignment of any one major-general to any com- 
mand the President might desire, even if ranked by those over 
whom he was placed. Under the operation of that law it was 
intended to displace General Grant and place Thomas in com- 
mand of all the land forces of the country. Thomas learned 
what the programme was, and resolved that he should not be 
placed in a false position. To prevent it he telegraphed to 
Senator Chandler, and possibly others, that the government 
had done enough for him and requested that the Senate refuse 
to confirm the nomination made by the President. There are 
few men living who knew what President Johnson's intention 
was, and this statement may strike many with surprise. Had 



236 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Thomas been an avaricious, grasping, ambitious man he would 
have stejiped in and for a season commanded the army, thus 
placing himself, as well as General Grant, in false jiositions. 
Thomas had no such desire to rob General Grant of the honors 
he had so justly earned. How very few there are in the army, 
or elsewhere, who would not readily accept promotion by any 
means it could be obtained without reference to the great in- 
justice it might work upon others ! Not so with Thomas ; 
he M^as too noble and too generous to accept a position right- 
fully belonging to another. General Grant graduated and 
entered the army three years after Thomas, and with many 
officers there would have been unwilling and tardy obedience 
on account of original seniority ; but Thomas was too much 
of a soldier and the importance of the contest too great for 
petty squabbling about rank. He served honestly and faith- 
fully under any and all circumstances, and at all times bore 
true allegiance to his country and to his commander. 

If he ever had any feeling that others had been unjustly 
promoted over his head, certain it was that he never spoke of 
it to any one. As he once remarked, he " had educated him- 
self not to feel," or, if he did feel, it was so far on the inside 
of his manly, generous bosom that it never reached the sur- 
face. He had no tales of wrongdoing on the part of others to 
him, or of any want of appreciation on the part of the War 
Department, but always insisted that he had had more than 
his share of credit and emoluments. Such a disinterested, 
unselfish man is rarely to be found in these degenerate days. 

As the solution of the problem of reconstruction progressed, 
new lines were made to bound Military Dej)artments and new 



BREVET RANK IN THE ARMV. 237 

names were given to them. On March 11, 1867, Thomas 
was assigned to the command of the " Third Military Dis- 
trict," composed of the States of Georgia, Florida, and Ala- 
bama, but was relieved from duty therein, at his own request, 
on March 16, preferring to remain in command of the De- 
partment of the Cumberland. 

The return of the officers who had served in the volunteer 
service to their old places in the regular army produced much 
confusion, owing to the brevet rank held by some of them. 
This question seemed fair to lead to unending trouble and 
dissatisfaction, owing to the indiscriminate manner in which 
they had been bestowed. Mr. Stanton felt so elated at the 
downfall of the Rebellion that he thought every officer who 
had held a commission in the regular or volunteer service 
should have from two to four brevets, and accordingly these 
empty honors were conferred as fast as they could be written 
out. In many instances officers who had not heard the 
whistle of a hostile bullet were brevetted for faithful ser- 
vices during the war. In some instances captains ranked their 
colonels by brevet, and it was not an unusual thing for a 
colonel to address one of his subordinates as general. When 
these brevetted officers Avere detailed on courts-martial, a cap- 
tain or lieutenant might be president of the tribunal and his 
colonel the junior member. Then, again, there was doubt 
and uncertainty as to rank among themselves. 

To settle this question, and bring order out of chaos and 
confusion, a board of officers of which Thomas was a mem- 
ber was ordered to convene to decide upon a given date 
for each general officer by brevet. This board met March 



238 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

14, 1866, and was in session ten days. Tiie proceedings were 
approved, but, not having the weight of law on their side, 
practically failed to accomplish the object intended. Subse- 
quently Congress legislated upon the subject, and to all in- 
tents and purposes abolished all laws relating to brevet rank, 
without substituting some other method by which the services 
of those who had earned honorable distinction on the battle- 
field might be made manifest. Some distinctive mark, as a 
badge, to indicate rank by brevet should be authorized. The 
private soldier who has served an enlistment is, when he re- 
enlists, permitted to wear a service chevron to indicate former 
faithful service. Why not allow officers who have braved 
dangers on the battle-field, and who have earned laurels in 
many bloody conflicts, to wear a badge indicative of such ser- 
vice? Thomas threw the weight of his influence in favor of 
this, but he failed to have his cherished plan carried out. 

General Thomas remained in command of the Department 
of the Cumberland until January 5, 1869, when he was detailed 
as a member of the Dyer Court of Inquiry, which occupied 
his time until about the middle of May. On the conclusion 
of the business of the court he was ordered to the command 
of the Military Division of the Pacific, with headquarters in 
San Francisco. He arrived at his post of duty some time 
during the month of June, 1869, and at once issued his order 
assuming command. Only a few years previously he had 
sailed from that city as a newly-appointed major of cavalry ; 
now he returned as a major-general, having earned his pro- 
motion by his gallantry and skill on a score of bloody and 
hotly-contested battle-fields. 



VISITS HIS OLD POST, FORT FUMA. 239 

After a short period of rest he determined upon visiting all 
the posts within the bounds of his command, inchiding tho 
frozen region of Alaska. The government officials knew but 
little of that remote section of our country until Thomas vis- 
ited it, and his report, which was minute in detail, established 
the fact that Mr. Seward had purchased an iceberg for the 
use and benefit of the United States government. What 
we are to gain by this purchase has not yet transpired, nor is 
it at all likely that the present generation will ever have any 
occasion to use it. Thomas suggested the withdrawal of all 
the troops from that inhospitable climate, leaving our pur- 
chase to the low, degraded Indians who were thrown in when 
the country was transferred to us. After visiting all other 
forts he paid a flying visit to his old post. Fort Yuma, where, 
as a captain, he had been stationed, and where he had suf- 
fered so much from the heat and other causes incident to the 
climate. It filled him with pleasant memories, and those 
were intensified in a recollection that his rank now would 
forever exempt him from continuous service there. 

It is probable that he paid that post a visit for pretty much the 
same reason that the old, disabled, and retired English officer 
employed a drummer and fifer to play reveille every morning 
at five o'clock in front of his house. It was not a fondness 
for the music, but a satisfaction to turn over, rub his eyes, and 
say, '' Thank heavens ! I am no longer compelled to get up 
and attend morning roll-call." It must have been thus with 
Thomas. He enjoyed the thought that he would never again 
be compelled to become a permanent part of the garrison at 
that point. 



240 MEMOIR OF MA J. -GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Having completed his inspection, he knew the wants 
of eacli post, and at once directed his attention to supplying 
them. 

Thomas was not a public speaker, and always avoided, as 
far as possible, all places where he might be called upon to 
make extended remarks. He had been trained to act, and 
the history of the country shows how well he performed the 
duty that devolved upon him. On one or two occasions he 
was " cornered" and had to make speeches. The first and 
only time the writer ever heard him was on the occasion of 
the meeting of the " Society of the Army of the Cumber- 
land," in the city of Cincinnati, in February, 1867. 

He was called on to reply to tiie toast, " General Thomas." 
He rose and said, — 

" I thank you for the toast. At the same time it is almost 
too personal for me to attempt to rej)ly. Again, my prede- 
cessors have occupied nearly the whole field of discussion to- 
night, and left me in a pretty bad scrape. I don't know how 
I shall draw out. Nevertheless I will try to do so ; I will 
make the attempt. I did intend to relate our M'ithdrawal 
from the front of Atlanta to take up those three lines of 
march upon the enemy's rear and line of retreat which our 
illustrious commander, General Sherman, has just now so 
graphically described. He, you see, has anticipated me. As 
the president of this Association, I desired also to allude 
briefly to the services and merits of my predecessors. My 
immediate predecessor, General Thruston, has ably done that, 
and I find myself forestalled a second time. Now you see how 
desperate my condition is. You all know that I am a modest 
man, and never speak unless I am forced to. I was once 
offered the command of the Army of the Cumberland when 



THOMAS AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER. 241 

I thought it should not be taken from a gentleman who had 
claims for it. I therefore declined it. I would not permit 
myself to be made use of to do him an injury. At a later 
day, without any thought of such a position being thrust 
upon me, the command of the Army of the Cumberland was 
given to me. You know very well the occasion. It was 
when we were tied, in a measure, at Chattanooga. We did 
not have a great deal to eat then, you know, and we econo- 
mized our rations, and proposed to starve before we gave up 
that place. 

" Gentlemen, you know the Army of the Cumberland ex- 
pressed that sentiment to the country, and you also know 
that we would have starved before we gave up Chattanooga. 
The whole country had confidence in that declaration. Re- 
inforcements came as soon as they could be gotten to us. We 
waited patiently, diminished our rations from day to day, 
until they became almost a myth ; but the day came when the 
Army of the Tennessee, on our left, opened the way to relief 
and final triumph by crossing the Tennessee River and taking 
a strong position on Mission Ridge. The next d^y the rein- 
forcements from the Army of the Potomac, which were not 
then incorporated with the Army of the Cumberland, carried 
that high point on our right, Lookout Mountain, which opened 
the eyes of the enemy to the danger of his position. 

" That gave us great encouragement. We felt that we 
could get something to eat before long. The next day was 
the grand finale. The enemy, thinking that he had us entirely 
in his power, forgot himself and lost Lookout Mountain. 
To retrieve his disaster he concentrated upon our illustrious 
friend on my right (General Sherman), the leader of the com- 
bined armies afterwards. That concentration gave the corps 
under my immediate command an opportunity, in soldier par- 
lance, * to make a straight line for the top of Mission Ridge.' 

16 



242 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-OEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

We carried it; we held it; and Ave hurled the broken enemy 
across Chickaraauga Creek. AVell do I remember when, 
after the battle was over, right on the top of the hill, I fell 
among some of our old soldiers, who always took liberties 
with me, who commenced talking and giving their views of 
the victory. AVhen I attempted to compliment them for the 
gallant manner in which they had made the assault, one man 
very coolly replied, ' Why, general, we know that you have 
been training us for this race for the last three weeks.' 

" Just at that moment, not knowing exactly what to say to 
him, I looked over my shoulder and saw a steamboat coming 
into Chattanooga. Said I, ' We have trained you as long as we 
want to; there comes the rations.' 

" Now, gentlemen, my time is very nearly up. I will close 
by touching on one subject which no gentleman has touched 
upon to-night. It is this: the civilizing influences of disci- 
pline, both in the army and the navy. We have not only 
broken down one of the most formidable rebellions that ever 
threatened the existence of any country, but the discipline of 
the Army of the Cumberland alone has civilized two hundred 
thousand valuable patriots and citizens. I have travelled a 
little since the war was over. Wherever I have been, whether 
on steamboat or rail, I have either seen on the steamboat, en- 
gaged in peaceful occupation of merchant sailors, or I have 
seen in the fields, along tiie railroads, engaged in peacefully fol- 
lowing the plough, and setting an example of industry wortliy 
to be followed by all the country, men innumerable dressed 
in blue. They did not disdain to wear the uniform ; they 
gloried in it; and I hope that such sentiments, and such 
civilizing influences as have been ])roduced by this war, 
will serve for all time to inspire this nation with such a 
feeling of patriotism that no enemy can ever do us the least 
harm." 



THOMAS AS A PUBLIC SPEAKER. 243 

This speech of the general is given in full, as it is believed 
to be the longest one he ever made. In it his character is 
revealed such as has been delineated in these pages. How 
modest ! All that his noble army did was due to the courage 
and good conduct of the officers and men composing that 
army. He gave them the credit and took none to himself. 
The writer was present at the delivery of the foregoing speech, 
and can testify that he, who was a terror to his foe, a thunder- 
bolt on the field of battle, the man wlio knew no fear, yyas on 
that occasion, surrounded by his friends, as modest and diffi- 
dent as a woman, and seemed to be laboring under a greater 
degree of excitement than he ever evinced in the heat of 
battle. 



CHAPTER X. 

Thomas's Loyalty — Pen-Portrait by William Swinton. 

It has been said that Thomas hesitated in regard to liis 
loyalty to the United States government, and that at one 
time his mind was made up to cast his fortunes with his na- 
tive State, turning against the government that had educated 
him. This is false, without even the shadow of foundation 
in fact. 

He was intensely attached to the cause of the Union, and 
while tlie writer was as intimately associated with him as any 
officer in his regiment, he never heard him express any other 
views than those of loyalty to tlie government, first, last, and 
all the time. He felt that a majority of the people of his 
native State were for the Union,, and that they would have 
remained in it had not the leaders, by their high-handed and 
unauthorized conduct, forced the inhabitants into a position 
of disloyalty by a self-elected, self-constituted convention 
which dissolved by resolutions the ties that bound them to 
the Federal government. He never ceased to feel that he 
was one of the proper representatives of Virginia, that, if 
the popular voice could be heard, it M'ould unmistakably 
proclaim that a large majority of the people were in fovor 
of " the Union, the Constitution, and the enforcement of the 
laws." It was in this way that many of the States were 
244 



THOMAS'S LOYALTY. 245 

brought into conflict with national authority, not because the 
people were tired of the old gov^erumeut, not because they 
had been oppressed or denied any of those rights guaranteed 
to them by the Constitution, but under the lash of party 
rulers they were whipped into the traces and made to cry, 
" Long live the Confederacy ! Down with the Stars and 
Stripes !" 

It was the timely arrival of Anderson, Sherman, Thomas, 
and Buell in Kentucky that restrained the hot-headed people 
of that State, and prevented the passage of the ordinance 
of secession. Had their arrival been delayed a few weeks 
longer Confederate authority would have been established, 
thus utterly destroying the Union sentiment that pervaded 
the masses. 

It has been said by some one that General Grant, in speak- 
ing of the " slowness" of Thomas, remarked that he was slow 
to decide upon remaining loyal to the Federal government. 

The general was doubtless misquoted, as he would not 
willingly cast such an imputation upon the fair name and 
fame of one who has passed away and is unable to reply. 
And, aside from this, General Grant is too magnanimous to 
have given utterance to any such unjust reflection, — unjust to 
one who gave evidence of loyalty and devotion to the country 
before he, General Grant, decided upon entering the service 
at all for the suppression of the Rebellion. 

Lono; before the bombardment of Fort Sumter it was 
evident to every rational observer and thinker that we were 
to have a w^ar, and when the officers of the Second Cavalry 
assembled, as was their custom, after the arrival of the weekly 



246 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

mail, to discuss the news and probable turn aifairs might take, 
no one ever heard him give forth any uncertain sound in 
regard to his purpose in the future should war be the legiti- 
mate consequence of attempted secession. This matter of 
Thomas's loyalty is reluctantly referred to, because it is an 
insult to the memory of a great and good man; and no one 
would resent it sooner than General Grant if he were to read 
in the newspapers what the correspondent attributes to him. 
Thomas was in full accord with that outburst of popular 
affection, that exhibition of patriotic resolution, that simple, 
patient, unfaltering adherence to principle and to purpose, 
which vindicated the authority and assured the existence 
of the American republic, from the day that war seemed 
imminent to the close of the unnatural, causeless, and wicked 
strife, which finally burnt itself out amid the black ashes of 
overthrow and defeat. 

It should be borne in mind that an officer born in one of 
the Southern States had to antagonize himself to all his kin- 
dred, and sever all those endearing ties of friendship and re- 
lationship which are so dear to every member of the human 
family. To place one's self in such a position required patriot- 
ism of a high order. Such was Thomas's loyalty to his 
country that he said, " If these ties can only be preserved on 
the condition of my abandonment of the government for 
which my forefathers fought, bled, and died, then let them 
be severed ;" and the resolution was carried out, the govern- 
ment securing the services of a brave and devoted soldier, 
without a superior and with few equals. 

It might just as well be stated here as elsewhere that 



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Eng^^ by Vf G Jack 



PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 247 

Thomas had offers of advancement from friends in the South 
if he would leave the Federal army and join the cause of the 
Southern States, but he spurned the offer and would not per- 
mit himself to entertain the overture for a single moment. 

Major Frank J. Jones, who served under Thomas and 
who knew his worth, in a speech recently made in Cincinnati 
at a dinner-party given to ex-officers of the army and navy, 
said, in reference to his loyalty, — 

"But there is one now at rest with the other dead patriots 
of the war, the noble General George H. Thomas, whose 
fidelity and devotion to the old flag meant with him not only 
war with rebels, but also a severance and permanent destruc- 
tion of the ties and affections of home and the associations 
that cluster around the native hearthstone. Yes, gentlemen, 
he was a Virginian who preferred loyalty to the government 
which had educated him to treason and its consequent dis- 
grace, which his conscience told him awaited all those who 
undertook its intended annihilation. 

"All honor to the precious memory of this noble man, 
whose deeds of heroism made him the 'Gibraltar of Chicka- 
mauga' and the invincible captain of a mighty army at 
Mission Ridge, Franklin, and Nashville." 

What can be more beautiful and, at the same time, truth- 
ful than the following tribute to Thomas by William Swin- 
ton, published in his book, " Twelve Decisive Battles of the 
War"? 

" The figure of Thomas looms up, in many respects without 
a superior, in most respects without a rival, even among the 
Union generals created by the war. 



248 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" When the Rebellion opened Major Thomas was a soldier 
of twenty years' experience, during which he had not only not 
turned aside to the attractions of civil life, but had accepted 
only two furloughs. It was during his latter leave of ab- 
sence that the insurrection broke out, and Thomas received 
the colonelcy of his regiment, now styled the Fifth Cavalry. 

" From this time the fame of General Thomas becomes 
nntionah His complete and admirable victory at Mill Spring 
was the first triumph of magnitude for the North since the 
disaster at Bull Run, and brouglit back a needed prestige to 
the Union arms. As commander of the Fourteenth Army 
Corps, under Rosecrans, he was conspicuous in the marching 
and fighting which preceded Murfreesboro', and all-glorious 
in that decisive battle. Him Rosecrans then portrayed as 
'true and prudent, distinguished in council and celebrated 
on many battle-fields for his courage.' It was he who, alone 
and unaided, saved the Army of the Cumberland at Chicka- 
mauga, when the example of all around him might have 
excused him for flying from the lost field. 

" And again, accordingly, the enthusiastic tribute of praise 
comes up in the report of Rosecrans : ' To Major-General 
Thomas, the true soldier, the prudent and undaunted com- 
mander, the modest and incorruptible patriot, the thanks and 
gratitude of the country are due for his conduct at the battle 
of Cliickamauga.' It was Thomas, whose troops, 'forming 
on the plain below with the precision of parade,' made the 
wonderful charge on Missionary Ridge which threw Bragg 
back into Georgia. It was he who in the grand Atlanta 
campaign commanded, under Sherman, more than three-fifths 
of that army, and who delivered the opening battle at Buz- 
zard's Roost and the closing battle at Lovejoy's. It was 
Thomas, in fine, who set the seal of success on the Georgia 
campaign, three hundred miles away at Nashville. 



PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 249 

" Imposing in stature, massive in thew and limb, the face 
and figure of General Thomas consort well with the impres- 
sion made by his character, — the firm mouth, the square jaw, 
the steady blue eye, the grave expression habitual on the im- 
passive countenance being indices to well-known traits. The 
war showed that his gifts, like his qualities, were, in the main, 
of that more solid and substantial sort which gain less imme- 
diate applause than what is specious and glittering, but which 
lead on to enduring fame. Yet there was noticeable in him 
a rare and felicitous union of qualities which do not often ap- 
pear with full vigor in the same organization. Cautious in 
undertaking, yet, once resolved, he was bold in execution ; 
deliberate in forming his plan and patiently waiting for events 
to mature, yet when the fixed hour struck he leaped into 
great activity. Discretion in him was obviously spurred on 
by earnestness, and earnestness tempered by discretion. Pru- 
dent by nature, not boastful, reticent, he was not the less free 
from the weakness of will and tameness of spirit which are as 
fatal to success as rashness. He was, in short, one of those 
' whose blood and judgment are so well commingled that they 
are not a pipe for Fortune's finger to sound what stop she 
pleases.' 

" Of his complete mastery of his profession in all its de- 
tails, of his consummate skill as a general, the best monument 
is the story of his battles ; for he never lost a campaign or a 
field, he never met his enemy without giving him cause to 
grieve for the rencontre, and he culled laurels from fields on 
which brother-officers were covered with disgrace, and more 
than once plucked up drowning honor by the locks, as at 
Chickamanga. As he did not himself fail, so he did not 
suffer himself to be ruined by incompetency in superiors, much 
less in subordinates, for he was accustomed to consider before- 
hand such possibilities and to guard against them. His sue- 



250 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

cesses were won by art, not tossed to him by fortune ; and 
whenever victory came to him lie was conscious of having 
earned it. Such successes indicate temperaments at once solid 
and acute, and in which wisdom and valor concur, — Nestor 
of the council and Hector of the field. 

" He was a soldier who conned his maps before he marched 
liis army, who planned his campaign before he fought it, who 
would not hurry, who would not learn by thoughtless experi- 
ments what study could teach, who believed in the duty of a 
general to organize victory at each step. He was a lover of 
system, and was nothing if not systematic. He approved 
what was regular, and required jiroof of what was irregular; 
had that fondness for routine which does not ill become an 
old army officer; and even in exigencies desired everything to 
proceed duly and in order. He was not a slave to method, 
but naturally distrusted what was unmethodical ; and that he in- 
variably won battles by virtue of time-honored principles, and 
in accordance with the rules of the art of war, was, besides 
its value to the country, a truth invaluable to military science 
in the land, whose teachings had been somewhat unjustly cast 
into contempt by the conduct of other successful soldiers. His 
Nashville campaign gave more than one instance of the trait 
just noted. Superiors Avere vexed at his constant retreat from 
the Tennessee, at his flight behind the parapets of Nashville, 
at his delay to attack the investing force ; but neither this 
vexation nor the danger of removal which threatened him 
could avail with Thomas, for that soldier would not be 
badgered into premature battle. Soon after the wisdom of 
Thomas in delaying attack in order to mount his cavalry ap- 
proved itself, for never before in the war had grand victory 
been so energetically followed by pursuit. In the battle 
itself, too, spectators fancied that he was pausing too long 
before engaging his right flank, but he held that wing poised. 



PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 251 

as it were, in tlie air till the fit moment, when he swung it 
like a mighty sledge upon the Confederate and smote him to 
the dust. 

" The best justification of his system was its success, for if 
discreet he was safe ; if slow, sure. He provided for dilemmas 
and obstacles, he suffered no surprises, made no disastrous ex- 
periments at the sacrifice of position, of prestige, or of the 
lives of his troops, and, indeed, he was Avont to make the 
enemy pay dearly for the privilege of defeat, and usually 
lost fewer troops in action than his adversary, whether pur- 
suing the offensive or the defensive. Thus, if the processes 
of his thought were slow of evolution, they at least attained 
to their goal. 

" His natural impulse would seem to be to stand inebranla- 
ble on the defensive, and, having taken manfully his enemy's 
blows till the assailant was exhausted, then to turn upon him 
in furious aggression ; so it was with his first national victory 
at Mill Spring, and so with his latest at Nashville, while his 
fight at bay at Chickamauga is immortal. A fine analyzer of 
character might perhaps trace a sympathy between this mili- 
tary method, on the one hand, and the well-known personal 
traits of the soldier on the other : his modesty, his unas- 
suming, unpretending spirit, his absence of self-assertion and 
habit of remaining in the background, and, therewith, his 
vigor when aroused and his bold championship of any cause 
entrusted to him. At all events, the fame of his persistency, 
of his firmness, almost amounting to obstinacy, of the un- 
yielding grip Avith which he held his antagonist, became world- 
wide. When Grant hurried to the relief of beleaguered Chat- 
tanooga, there to supplant Rosecrans, he telegraphed to Thomas, 
then in command, ' Hold on to Chattanooga at all hazards' ; 
to which message came the sententious response: 'Have no 
fear. Will hold the town till we starve.' When steadfast he 



252 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

stood in Frick's Gap, on the field of Chickaraauga, after the 
cohimns on both of his flanks had given way, the torrent of 
Bragg's onset, the hail of fire that swept the Union ranks 
moved him not a jot from his firm base, and the billow that 
swamped the rest of the field recoiled from him. 'The rain 
descended, and the floods came and beat npon that house, 
and it fell not : for it was founded upon a rock.' Thereafter 
the soldiers of the Army of the Cumberland were wont to 
call him 'The Rock of Chickamauga.' 

" Grave and wise at the council board, yet it is on the well- 
contested field that Thomas shines most conspicuous. In the 
ordinary tide of battle he is empliatically the imperturbable, 
calm, poised, entirely cool, self-possessed one, on whom the 
shifting fortunes of the day have only a subdued etfect, and 
whose equanimity even success cannot dangerously disturb. 
But he is greatest in extremity, that 'trier of spirits.' In 
the supreme moment of exigency, which demands a great soul 
to grasp it, — such an one as came to overtasked Hooker at 
Chancellorsville, — Thomas shines out pre-eminent and asserts 
his superiority. Plilegmatic at most hours, the desperate 
crises of battle are alone sufficient to stir his temperament into 
fullest action, and then his quiet, steady eyes flame a little 
with battle-fire. 

" He had the great quality of inspiring in his troops per- 
fect confidence and great devotion. Indeed, his soldierly skill 
was well set off" by the air and manner of a soldier : unaf- 
fected, manly, far from the pettiness bred by long pampering 
in the drawing-room, but with a simplicity, robustness, and 
hardiness of character like that of his own physique, the in- 
heritance of thirty years in field and garrison. Dignified and 
decorous, his brother-officers found him free from show and 
pretence, frank, open, and magnanimous ; while to his troops 
he was kindly and amiable. He excited no envy or jealousy 



PEN-PORTRAIT BY WILLIAM SWINTON. 253 

in his rivals, who found him straightforward and conscien- 
tious; and his men had cause to know that he was observant 
of merit and rewarded it. His reputation was without re- 
proach, his controlled temper superior to the vicissitudes of 
camp and battle, and joined to them was a courage which set 
life at a pin's fee. A Virginian, and of such social ties as 
might well have made him 'a Pharisee of the Pharisees,' he 
had proved at the outset the quality of the allegiance he bore 
to the republic by casting in his lot with the Union arms. 
His loyalty was disinterested and the result of conviction, not 
of political aspiration. 

" The progress of the war, too, gave him, as it did so many 
officers, a chance to show the quality and stability of his 
patriotism. Even while the country resounded with the 
glories of Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge, Sherman, his 
junior in experience, in length of service, and in years, and 
his equal only in rank, was appointed over him to the com- 
mand vacated by General Grant. Without murmur, perhaps 
without thought of injury, Thomas took his place under Sher- 
man with the cheerful obedience of a true soldier. . On the 
eve of Nashville he was to have been relieved of command, 
but desired, for the sake of the country, that he might execute 
a long-formed plan, after which he would be at such disposal 
as might seem fit. 

" Such was General Thomas, the completely rounded, skil- 
ful, judicious, modest soldier, — a man compact, of genuine 
stuff, a trustworthy man : 

" Kich in saving common sense, 
And, as the greatest only are, 
In his simplicity sublime." 



CHAPTER XI. 

Nature and Character of Last Illness — Death — General Order of 
General Sherman announcing the Same — Eeceived with Universal 
Sadness. 

General Thomas, having finished the inspection of his 
command and made such changes as he thought proper, set- 
tled down to the office duties devolving upon him. The 
long strain upon his mind and body had to some extent 
impaired his health, and he thought that a change to the 
climate of California would result in great benefit to him. 
But how uncertain are all human calculations ! About noon 
on the 28th day of March, 1870, while sitting in his office, 
he was suddenly attacked with faintness and oppression. He 
walked into an adjoining room to seek fresh air, and fell 
insensible to the floor. He was taken back into his office 
and laid upon a lounge. Messengers were immediately sent 
out for medical aid. Dr. Haggen, a citizen physician, was 
the first to arrive, and he at once administered a stimulant, 
which revived him somewhat. Soon after, Surgeons Rob- 
ert Murray and Charles McCormick, U.S.A., of the gen- 
eral's staff, arrived, accompanied by Surgeon E. J. Bailey, 
who was temporarily in San Francisco. They found him 
very faint and weak and suffering from great nervous pros- 
tration. Brandy was administered, and he soon became con- 
254 



LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH. 255 

scious and clear-minded. He got up, and witli the assistance 
of two men walked into an adjoining room and back again. 
The faintness and prostration, however, soon returned in a 
much greater degree, and it was soon evident that what was 
hoped to be merely faintness and exhaustion was a most 
serious and progressive attack of apoplexy caused by effu- 
sion of blood on the brain from a ruptured blood-vessel. 
In spite of all treatment the symptoms progressed with fatal 
rapidity. Partial unconsciousness advanced to entire insensi- 
bility. The pupils dilated, and his breathing became more 
and more labored and apoplectic- He was not conscious after 
3 o'clock P.M., and at a quarter past seven in the evening he 
breathed his last. There was no post-mortem examination, 
but in the process of embalming the body the coats of the 
large artery coming from the heart were found softened from 
fatty degeneration, so that it is probable that a similarly 
diseased condition existed in the artery which was ruptured 
in the brain. 

Death is at all times as difficult to chronicle as it is unwel- 
come and unexpected. We trace the career of a great man 
with pride and with pleasure, and by the distinctive features 
that make him great we elevate him above his fellows. He 
is marked, distinguished, in that he differs from his fellows 
in the possession of larger faculties or the enjoyment of 
grander opportunities. But, after all, at last (and just here 
who would not wish to lay aside the pen ?), at last we must 
record what is the lot of all men : death. In this there is no 
distinction, all men die. Death is inexorable, and wherever or 
whenever it comes, it is equally an intruder and unexpected. 



256 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

We lament the young in death, we mourn the old in death, we 
would never give up the middle-aged. The rich, the poor, the 
famous, the obscure, — we weep for them all. There seems 
to be no time to die in our estimate of life's usefulness. 
Death is always inopportune. Father, mother, wife, hus- 
band, brother, sister, the State, the nation never acquiesce in 
Death's appointments. " It is appointed unto all men once 
to die," — but when ? Alas ! alas ! Scripture gives us no dates 
in this matter, and if man is indeed slow to imbibe all other 
divine truth, he certainly has not failed to robe his thoughts 
with the scriptural indefiniteness as to the approach of death. 
Shall we wonder then that we recoil from the thought of the 
death of ourhero ? When we think of him in the full vigor of 
manhood, ripe in the experiences of an eventful life, beloved 
by his countrymen, honored by the nation, might we not wish 
for him long days to enjoy his laurels and radiate his nobility 
of character along the path of the generation coming up after 
him ? Such would be our wisdom, such our love. But, " as 
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher 
than our ways," and our more unfitting time Death appropri- 
ates for his. But, while we yield up the mortal to the grim 
tyrant, we proudly glory in the immortality of his fame. 

And now you, too, Thomas ! 
Alas ! alas ! Death writes again 
Upon the lofty arch of fame, 
Beneath thy emblazoned name, 
" There's no immunity to greatness." 

Achieve so much as mortals may, 
Climb so far you see to-morrow's day, 



GENERAL ORDER ANNOUNCING HIS DEATH. 257 

Battle for the million-freeing truth, 

As angels might be proud to do, 

Clash steel and throat Oppression's hordes, 

Save a race and make them freemen, 

Yet, after all, thrust through by Death ! 

And yet thou canst not, canst not die 

While earth is canopied with sky ; 

Thou didst such fuel add to Freedom's fire 

In all the ages 'twill ne'er expire. 

Thy life roused the ocean depths of thought 

To such great waves against the wrong 

They'll ceaseless lash, nor grow less strong. 

Nor rest on any shore in calm. 

While droops on earth one fettered arm. 

• Live on, then, brave soldier, 
In the nation's proudest annals. 
In the people's warmest hearts ! 
Great in courage, noble in truth. 
Pure as the sunlight in soul. 
Dead, but imperishable ! 

General William T. Sherman, Commander-in-Chief of the 
army and a classmate of Thomas, thus feelingly and beau- 
tifully announced his death to the army in the following 
tribute to his memory : 

" Headquarters op the Army, 

" Adjtjtant-Gexeral's Office, 
" Washington, March 29, 1870. 
" General Orders No. 34. 

" It has become the painful duty of the general to announce 
to the army the death of one of our most exalted generals, 
George H. Thomas, who expired last evening at half-past 
seven, in San Francisco, California. 

17 



258 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"There is no need to turn to the archives to search for his 
history, for it is recorded in almost every page during the 
past ten years; hut his classmate and comrade owes him a 
personal tribute, in \thich he knows every member of the 
army shares. General Thomas entered the Military Academy 
in the class of 1836, graduated in 1840, and was commis- 
sioned as a second lieutenant, Third Artillery, and sent to 
Florida. He served with his regiment continuously until 
Decemlier 24, 1853, when he became a captain, having been 
jiarticularly distinguished at Monterey and Buena Vista, Mex- 
ico. On the 1 2th of May, 1855, he was appointed to the Second 
Cavalry as major, and served with that regiment continuously 
until he became its colonel, on the 3d of May, 1861. The great 
civil war found him at his post, true and firm, amidst the ter- 
rible pressure he encountered by reason of his birthplace, 
Virginia; and President Lincoln commissioned him as a 
brigadier-general of volunteers and sent him to Kentucky. 
There, too, his services were constant and eminent in the 
highest degree. He won the first battle in the West, at Mill 
Spring, Kentucky, and from first to last, without a day's or 
an hour's intermission, he was at his post of duty, rising 
steadily and irresistibly through all the grades to the one he 
held as major-general of the regular army at the time of his 
death. At Shiloh, Corinth, Perryville, Stone River, Chicka- 
mauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta, and Nashville he fulfilled the 
proudest hopes of his ardent friends, and at the close of the 
war General George H. Thomas stood in the very front rank 
of our war generals. 

"The general has known General Thomas intimately since 
they sat as boys on the same bench, and the quality in him, 
which he holds up for the admiration and example of the 
young, is his complete and entire devotion to duty. Though 
sent to Florida, to ]\Iexico, to Texas, and to Arizona, when 



UNIVERSAL SADNESS. 259 

duty there was absolute banishment, he went cheerfully, and 
never asked a personal favor, exemption, or leave of absence. 
In battle he never wavered. Firm, and of full faith in his 
cause, he knew it would prevail, and he never sought advance- 
ment of rank or honor at the expense of any one. Whatever 
he earned of these were his own, and no one disputes his fame. 
The very impersonation of honesty, integrity, and honor, he 
will stand to us as the beau ideal of the soldier and gentleman. 

"Though he leaves no child to bear his name, the old 
Army of the Cumberland, numbered by tens of thousands, 
called him father, and will weep for him tears of manly grief. 

" His wife, who cheered him with her messages of love in 
the darkest hours of war, will mourn him now in sadness, 
chastened by the sympathy of a whole country. 

" The last sad rites due him as a man and a soldier will be. 
paid at Troy, New York, on the arrival of his remains and 
of his family, and all his old comrades who can be present are 
invited there to share in the obsequies. 

" At all military posts and stations the flag will be placed 
at half-staff, and fifteen minute-guns fired on the day after the 
receipt of this order, and the usual badges of mourning will 
be worn for thirty days. 

" By command of General Sherman. 

[Signed] "E. D. Townsend, 

" Adjutant-General." 

The foregoing general order, issued the day after the demise 
of General Thomas, was carried on the wings of lightning to 
all parts of the world. A mighty man had fallen. Sorrow and 
sadness filled the hearts of all, and " tears of manly grief" 
demonstrated the intensity and sincerity of the nation's sorrow. 

It beiup; the desire of Mrs. Thomas that the remains of her 



260 MEMOIR OF MAJ.QEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

husband should be deposited in the family vault at Troy, 
New York, the same were forwarded by rail in charge of his 
former personal staff, with a suitable guard, and arrived in 
Troy on the 7th day of April, 1870. The expressions of re- 
spect to the memory of the distinguished dead on the entire 
route from San Francisco gave unmistakable tokens of the 
popular grief caused by the demise of one of the noblest of 
the hero chieftains of our country. The funeral services took 
place at Troy on the 8th. The following particulars are de- 
rived from copies of the Albany Evening Journal, kindly 
furnished by Mr. George C. Bishop. 

The train bearing the remains was met at Schenectady by 
a large delegation of the prominent men of Troy and Albany. 
The body reposed in the rear car, upon a catafalque erected in 
the centre, and guarded by ten men belonging to the Second 
United States Cavalry. An immense throng of people as- 
sembled at the Troy depot eager to see the casket that con- 
tained the remains of the lamented dead. On the arrival of 
the train the body was taken to the St. Paul's Episcopal 
Church, and soon the doors of the edifice were thrown open, 
and the coffin, draped with flags and trimmed with evergreens, 
was exposed to view. The sword worn by the gallant soldier 
on so many gory fields rested upon the casket, A large num- 
ber of distinguished men were present to show their respect 
for the memory of the great and good man by participating in 
the solemn services of the day. Among those present were 
the President of the United States, members of the Cabinet, 
representatives from both Houses of Congress, Governors of 
several States, etc., etc. 



FUNERAL EXERCISES. 261 

The public buildings and many of the private residences 
were decorated with funeral emblems, and flags at half-mast 
were seen in all parts of the city. 

That there was a deep sense of the loss which the nation 
had sustained in the death of the lamented hero was evident 
on all sides. 

The funeral exercises at the church were brief. The ser- 
vice was read by Bishop Doane, of Albany. 

HYMN. 

" Brief life is here our portion, 
Brief sorrow, short-lived care ; 
The life that knows no ending, 
The tearless life, is there. 

" Oh, happj' retribution ! 
Short toil, eternal rest, 
For mortals and for sinners, 
A mansion with the blest. 

" And now we fight the battle, 
But then shall wear the crown 
Of full and everlasting 
And passionless renown. 

" The morning shall awaken, 
The shadows pass away. 
And each true-hearted servant 
Shall shine as doth the day. 

"Oh, sweet and blessed country, 
The home of God's elect ! 
Oh, sweet and blessed country. 
That eager hearts expect ! 

"Jesus, in mercy bring us 
To that dear land of rest, 
"Who art, with God the Father 
And Spirit, ever blest. Amen." 



262 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

Psalms : " Lord, let me know my end, and the number of 
my days," etc. 

Job xix. 25, 26, 27: "I know that my Redeemer liveth, 
and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And 
though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my 
flesh shall I see God : Whom I shall see for myself." 

1 Cor. XV. 21, 22: "Since by man came death, by man 
came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all 
die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." 

Dirge from Oratorio of "Samson": 

" Bring the laurels bring the bays, 
Strew the hearse, and strew the ways. 
Glorious hero, may thy grave 
Peace and honor ever have." 

HYMN. 

" Jesus lives ! no longer now 

Can thy terrors, Death, appall us ; 
Jesus lives ! by this we know 

Thou, O Grave, canst not enthrall us. 

" Jesus lives ! for us he died ; 
Then alone to Jesus, living 
Pure in heart, may we abide. 
Glory to our Saviour giving. 

" Jesus lives ! our hearts know well 

Naught from us His love shall sever ; 
Life nor death nor powers of hell 
Fear us from His keeping ever. 

" Jesus lives ! to Him the throne 
Over all the world is given ; 
May we go where He is gone, 
Rest and reign with Him in heaven." 



FUNERAL EXERCISES. 263 

The pall-bearers were 

Major-General George G. Meade. 

Major-General W. S. E-osecrans. 

Major-General J. M. Schofield. 

Major-General W. B. Hazen. 

]\Iajor-General Gordon Granger. 

Major-General John Newton. 

Major-General McKay. 

Major-General Joseph Hooker. 
At the conclusion of the funeral services the remains were 
removed to the hearse, and the procession was formed and 
slowly wended its way through the streets to the cemetery. 
The thoroughfares along the line of march were literally 
crowded to suffocation by persons anxious to get a glimpse 
of the hearse. After the body had been placed in the family 
vault, the procession was reformed and returned to the city, 
where it was dismissed, thus closing a pageant which will be 
long remembered by the citizens of Troy, and which was a 
fitting tribute to the memory of one of our greatest soldiers. 
The following article appeared as an editorial in the Albany 
Evening Journal of April 8, 1870 : 

"The weather is auspicious. Bright skies and a balmy 
air greet those who to-day, in a neighboring city, are bearing 
to their last resting-place the remains of a great, a lamented 
soldier. Our condensed report shows that the ceremonies are 
of a most imposing character. Comrades of the departed 
warrior, men whose names, with his, are inseparably linked to 
the nation's history, and whose fame is world-wide, veterans 
of many a hard-fought field, battalions of Federal troops, 



264 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

regiments of citizen-soldiery, and multitudes of people escort 
the dead warrior to his last resting-place. Nor is this a mere 
hollow pageant. It bespeaks the sincere and general grief of 
a people who feel that they have suffered no common loss, and 
is the deserved tribute of his grateful and admiring country- 
men to the memory of one who was not only a splendid sol- 
dier, but likewise a model man." 

At the time of the death of General Thomas he was Presi- 
dent of the " Society of the Army of the Cumberland," and 
at the following meeting General Charles Cruft, in the ab- 
sence of General Garfield, chairman of the Committee on 
Memorial, reported the following preamble and resolutions : 

"On the 28th of March, 1870, Major-General George H. 
Thomas, the great soldier, who had presided over this Society 
from its institution, fell at his post, with all his harness on. 
His spirit returned to God, who gave it, and the memory of 
his greatness and goodness is all that is left to us. His death 
was a national calamity and an irreparable loss to his com- 
rades. 

" Therefore be it Resolved, That it is vain by words to 
attempt to express our loss, or to describe the grief which 
pervades this Society in view of this sad event. 

" Resolved, That the banners of this Society be draped in 
mourning, and that an appropriate memorial page be in- 
scribed upon its records. 

" Resolved, That some fitting monument should be erected 
by his countrymen to mark the spot where the remains of our 
beloved commander rests ; and that this Society shall take the 
initiatory steps for its erection ; and to that end a committee 
of one from each State represented in the Society be now 
appointed to arrange some method to procure the necessary 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 265 

funds, and to provide a design, specifications, and estimates 
therefor, and to report at the next meeting." 

In compliance with the recommendation contained in the last 
resolution, the Chair appointed the following committee : 

General J. D. Cox, Ohio. 

General Joseph Hooker, New York. 

General O. C. Loomis, Michigan. 

General John M. Palmer, Illinois. 

General John A. Martin, Kansas. 

General William Vandever, Iowa. 

General Nathan Kimball, Indiana. 

General John T. Croxton, Kentucky. 

General Gates P. Thruston, Tennessee. 

General John W. Bishop, Minnesota. 

General R. H. Ramsey, Pennsylvania. 

General N. P. Cogswell, Massachusetts. 

General Charles F. Manderson, Nebraska. 

General D. S. Stanley, Dakotah Territory. 

General Horace Porter, District of Columbia. 

Colonel W. H. Sinclair, Texas. 

Surgeon J. D. Bromley, New Jersey. 

Colonel J. N. Burke, Georgia. 

Colonel Joseph Howard, West Virginia. 
After ten years of incessant labor the statue was completed, 
and the eleventh annual reunion of the Society was fixed 
upon for the time of unveiling the same. An unusually large 
attendance of the members of the Society, and other kindred 
societies, attested the high appreciation in which he was 



266 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

held, not only by his old soldiers, but by all those who re- 
spected true loyalty, unflinching courage, and true manhood. 
It would be interesting to the general reader if the letters 
accepting the invitations to attend, and those expressing their 
regret at not being able to meet with their old army friends, 
could all be given in the body of this work, but this cannot 
be done. A few are selected as showing the high and ex- 
alted position occupied by General Thomas in the hearts and 
affections of the people of this nation. 

Fbom Lieutenant-General p. H. Sheridan. 

" Headquarters Military Division of Missouri, 

" Chicago, III., November 16, 1879. 

"To THE Members of the Society of the Army of 
THE Cumberland : 

"Gentlemen, — To my deep regret I am compelled to 
state that my physicians have forbidden my attendance at the 
forthcoming meeting of our Society. I have been confined 
to my house for nearly two weeks past with an obstinate 
bronchial trouble, which does not readily yield to medical 
treatment, and, despite my earnest solicitations, my medical 
advisers have positively refused to permit me to go to Wash- 
ington, or, in fact, to leave my room. 

" To those who know how deeply I have been interested 
in the completion of the statue to our old commander, Gen- 
eral George H. Thomas, which is to be im veiled on the 19th 
instant, and how anxiously I have waited to see you all again, 
after nearly three years of separation, there will be no need 
of saying how great a disappointment it is to me ; but I wish, 
more especially for the information of those with whom I 
have not been in immediate correspondence, that they may 
know that I am not neglectful of the interest of the Society, 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 267 

nor wanting in devotion to the memory of one of our purest 
and best men. No one among you will appreciate the privi- 
leges of our reunion more than I should have done, and none 
can be more anxious to do honor to the memory of our grand 
and good general than myself. But for once I am unable to 
ignore the state of my health, and have had to succumb to 
the orders of the surgeons. I trust and believe that you will 
have a happy time, and I know that many hallowed memo- 
ries will cling around the moment when you first unveil the 
statue of the man who stood like a rock against the adverse 
fortunes of the bloody day of Chickamauga. 

" With my earnest wishes for the good health and happi- 
ness of each and all of you, 

" I am, sincerely, your friend, 

"P. H. Sheridan." 



From General, U. S. Grant. 

"Palace Hotel, San Fraxcisco, October 21, 1879. 
"General H. M. Cist, Corresponding Secretary Society 
Army of the Cumberland. 
"Dear Sir, — On my return from Oregon this a.m. I find 
your invitation for me to be present at the meeting of the So- 
ciety of the Army of the Cumberland, on the 1 9th and 20th 
of November. I would like specially to be present at your 
next meeting to testify my profound respect and esteem for the 
worthy, patriotic, and brave old soldier. General George H. 
Thomas, whose monument is to be unveiled on that occasion, 
but I fear I shall not be able to do so. But I do not pronounce 
yet positively that I will not be there. I have telegraphed to 
General Sherman to-day on the same subject, saying that I 
would be able to decide when I meet him in Chicago, one 
week before your meeting. 



268 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" Be assured, if I am not there, my desire to be will be as 
great as that of any one. 

" Very truly yours, 

"U. S. Grant." 



Feom General John Pope. 

" Headquarters Department of the Missouri, 
"Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, November 6, 1879. 

"My dear Colonel, — I find myself, greatly to my regret, 
unable to accept the invitation to be present and participate 
in the ceremonies at the unveiling of the Thomas statue in 
Washington, on the 20th inst. 

" No one would be more rejoiced than I to embrace any 
opportunity to show his respect for this great and good man 
and soldier, and it is a real pain to rae to be obliged to decline. 
The difficulties in progress with the Utes and Apaches in this 
Department, and the organization and direction of troops 
moving against them, render it wholly improper and inexpe- 
dient that I should be absent from here at such a distance and 
for such a time, and I beg that you will convey to the Com- 
mittee my thanks for their consideration, and my great regret 
at my inability to avail myself of it. Every soldier will 
readily understand my position. 

"Sincerely yours, 

"John Pope. 

" Colonel H. C. Corbin, U.S.A., etc." 



From General T; J. Wood. 

" Dayton, Ohio, November 17, 1879. 

" My dear Colonel, — I can't tell you how much I regret 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 269 

that I can't be with you on the 19th and 20th instants. But 
so it is. Mrs. Wood and my oldest son are prostrated with 
the typhoid fever, and I must stay with them. 

" I have charged our mutual friend, Major Bickham, to 
express to our assembled comrades how much I regret my 
inability to participate in rendering this great tribute to our 
best-loved and most successful commander. I ask you to do 
the same. 

" Your friend and comrade, 

"Th. J. WOOD.'^ 



Feom U. S. Senator Maxey. 

" Paris, Texas, November 8, 1879. 
" H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary, etc., Washington. 

" Dear Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge the courtesy 
of an invitation to the eleventh reunion of the Society of the 
Army of the Cumberland and the unveiling of the Thomas 
statue, November 19th and 20th Insts., and regret that my 
engagements are such that it will be impracticable for me to 
reach Washington until after that date. 

" I first became acquainted with General Thomas during 
the Mexican war. He was a massive man. During the late 
war it was very generally regretted by officers of the Confed- 
erate army that his sense of duty led him away from us. No 
man doubted that he would prove true and invulnerable to 
the cause he espoused. General Thomas had the good fortune 
to command the respect of the Union and Confederate armies. 

" He made war according to the best usages of modern 
warfare, and not otherwise; No Confederate doubted honor- 
able treatment at the hands of General Thomas, should he be 
so unfortunate as to become a prisoner of war. 

" General Thomas will go down in history as a prominent 



270 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

and honorable actor in the grandest and best-fought war re- 
corded in history, and its pages will not, as to him, be blurred 
by one harsh, unkind, or dishonorable act. 
" Most respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

"S. B. Maxey." 



From U. S. Senator M. C. Butler. 

" Edgefield, S. C, November 7, 1879. 
" Gentlemeist, — Your invitation to myself and family to 
be present at the unveiling of the Thomas statue on the 19th 
and 20th insts. is just received. 

" I shall be compelled to remain at home until after the 
first Monday in December, on account of urgent professional 
engagements, and therefore will not be able to accept your 
invitation ; otherwise, I should have great pleasure in being 
present at your interesting ceremonies, whereby you propose 
to do honor to the memory of one of the ablest of American 
soldiers. 

" Please accept my thanks for the invitation. 
" I have the honor to be, 

" Very truly and respectfully, • 

" Your obedient servant, 

"M. C. Butler." 



From Senator E. E. Withers. 

" Wytheville, Va., November 17, 1879. 
" Committee of Invitation, Society of the Army of the 
Cumberland, Washington, D. C. 
'" Gentlemen, — I find that it will not be in my power to 
be present at the interesting ceremonies incident to the dedica- 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 271 

tion of tlie statue of General Thomas. The occasion is one 
of great interest to all who admire manliness and courage, 
unselfish devotion to duty, and military genius of the highest 
order. 

" Regretting the necessity which forbids my attendance on 
the 20th, I am, 

" Very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

"R. E. Withers." 



From Justice S. F. Miller. 

"Supreme Court of the United States, 
" Washington, November 10, 1879. 

"Messes. James A. Garfield, Thomas L. Young, A. 
McD. McCooK, Committee: 
" I accept with pleasure your invitation, in behalf of the 
Society of the Army of the Cumberland, to be present at the 
ceremonies of unveiling the statue of General Thomas, the 
pure man, the noble soldier, and successful general. He well 
deserves the affection of his comrades and the gratitude of his 
country bestowed upon his memory. 

•" I have the honor to be 

" Your obedient servant, 

"Sam. F. Miller." 



From Colonel B. H. Bristow. 

" New York, November 7, 1879. 
" My Dear Colonel, — Pray accept my cordial thanks 
for your kind note conveying a special invitation to the re- 
union of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, on the 
19th and 20th instants. 



272 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" It would give me inexpressible pleasure to join the mem- 
bers of the Society in paying homage to the memory of our 
grand old commander. 

" The survivors of his army cannot perform a better ser- 
vice for the country than the act of unveiling tlie statue of 
his manly form, and giving to ^ the public some idea of the 
life and character of Major-General George H. Thomas, as 
we saw and knew him in daily intercourse in field and cam]). 
His was a character to be studied and copied. No greater 
exemplar can be set before the youth of America. 

" I knew and loved General Thomas too well to fail, for any 
ordinary reason, to be present on the occasion to which your 
note invites me. 

" With sincere regard, I am, 

" Very truly yours, 

"B. H. Bristow. 
"Colonel H. C. Corbin." 



From General John M. Palmer. 

" Sprikgfieli), III., November 17, 1879. 

"Gentlemen, — I have until the latest moment withheld 
my acknowledgment of your invitation to be present at 
Washington on the 19th instant, to meet with the Army of the 
Cumberland and participate in the ceremony of unveiling the 
statue of General George H. Thomas, with the hope that I 
would be able to accept it ; but I am now forced by engage- 
ments I am unable to postpone or evade to deny myself the 
pleasure of doing so. 

" I have for months looked forward to the meeting of my 
comrades at Washington, and the proposed honors to the 
memory of our great leader, with the greatest satisfaction, 
and am unable to express the disappointment I feel at finding 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 273 

myself unable to be present. But I beg to assure you that 
each and every member of ' the Old Army' have a large 
share of my affectiouate regards, and that no one who 
will look upon the chiselled form and features of the great 
soldier, the disinterested, pure, patriotic man and citizen, 
whose statue will stand before you, will then remember 
him more vividly than I do now, or will more venerate his 
memory. 

" With sentiments of the highest respect for each of you 
personally, and of affection for all the members of ' the 
Grand Army' present and those scattered abroad, 
" I am, as ever, etc., 

"John M. Palmer." 



From General J. H. Wilson. 

" Boston, November 18, 1879. 
"H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary Local Executive Committee, 
" AVashington, D. C. : 
" Dear Sir, — I regret more than I can find words to 
express that I am prevented, by pressure of engagements I 
cannot defer, from being present at the unveiling of the Thomas 
statue. My regret is the more profound because I have the 
greatest respect for the exalted character of General Thomas. 
He was a true hero, if one ever lived ; a great soldier, if one 
ever died. His patriotism was beyond that of most men, 
while his devotion to duty was an all-absorbing principle. 
In every relation of life he was a modest, upright, fearless, 
self-respecting, stainless gentleman, such as all men and all 
ages should honor while living and hold in lasting reverence 
when dead. Of hira it may well be said he was 

" ' Patient in toil, serene in alarms. 

Inflexible in faith, invincible in arms I' 
18 



274 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"No nobler subject could be found for monumental brass ; 
no purer one be enshrined in the hearts of his admiring and 
grateful countrymen. 

" Again regretting that I cannot be with you, I am 
" Very respectfully yours, 

"J. H. Wilson." 



Feom General Daniel Butterfield. 

" Union Club, November 3, 1879. 
" General, — I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt 
of invitation to be present at the next reunion of the Army 
of the Cumberland and the ceremony of unveiling of the 
statue of that noblest of heroes and best of men, our beloved 
commander. General George H, Thomas. I shall attend 
with great pleasure and satisfaction. 

"Our noble old commander had no superior as a soldier 
and gentleman in the army, and very few equals. Rather 
than miss the opportunity to do this deserved honor to his 
memorv, I would walk from here to Washinsrton. 
" Very truly yours, 

" Daniel Butterfield." 
" General J. A. Garfield, Chairman, etc." 



From General H. W. Benham. 

" United States Engineer's Office, 

" New York City, November 7, 1879. 

" H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary, etc., Washington : 

" Dear Sir, — I have the honor to acknowledge your invi- 
tation to be present at the unveiling of the Thomas statue at 
Washington, upon the 19th and 20th of this month ; and I 
regret to fear that I shall not have the pleasure of being able 
to be present upon that interesting occasion. 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 275 

" For, in a full knowledge of this most worthily honored 
officer, from c^,det-life upward, in service in Florida and 
upon the field of Buena Vista, and as commander of a fortress 
near Boston afterwards, I can say that I have never known 
any one who combined in a greater degree the highest quali- 
ties of the man and the soldier — such iron integrity of 
principle, such unyielding bravery, and such unsurpassed 
judgment in action — as the man you now honor. 
" Very respectfully, 

" Your most obedient servant, 

"H. W. Benham, 
" Brevet Major-General U.S.A." 



Feom General William Birney. 

" WASHixGTOiSr, November 15, 1879. 

" Dear Sir, — I accept the invitation. 
"General Thomas was the ideal of the patriot, soldier, 
good man, and gentleman, as nearly as any character in 
history ; and his battle of Nashville reflects the highest credit 
upon him as a general. It was at all points one of the most 
able and scientific. 

" Yours, 

" William Birney, 
" Ex-Brevet Major-General U. S. Vols." 



From General George W. Cullum. 

" 315 Fifth Avekue, New York, November 15, 1879. 
" Gentlemen, — The great pleasure I had promised my- 
self of accepting your invitation to be present at the unveil- 
ing of the Thomas statue, I extremely regret I am at the last 
moment obliged to decline. 



276 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

" Beside my warm personal regard for Thomas, I had an 
enthusiastic admiration of him as the unsurpassed soldier of 
our great civil contest, — the general who had never been de- 
feated, and the leader of armies whose victories had placed 
him among the greatest heroes of tlie republic. Thomas 
was one of those rare men whose ' courage mounteth with the 
occasion,' who was most conspicuous, coolest, and fertile in 
invention, and most tremendous in energy, in the exigency 
of conflict, and who in the day's turning-point, at the white- 
heat of that furnace-fire of battle Avhich tries the soldier's 
soul, was the most lustrous. 

"Again regretting that I cannot be with you on this most 
interesting occasion, I have the honor to be, 

" Very respectfully and truly, 
" Your most obedient, 

" George W. Cullum, 
" Brevet Major-General U.S.A." 



From General John Gibbon. 

"Fort Spelling, Minnesota, November 11, 1879. 

"Dear McCook, — I am much obliged to you for sending 
me an invitation to the Army of the Cumberland meeting 
and the unveiling of the statue of one of the noblest men 
and soldiers the world has ever knoAvn. But I cannot come, 
I am sorry to say ; and as the printed card asks me to 
signify my acceptance to the secretary of the committee, I 
consider myself at liberty to address my declination to you. 

" Many complimentary things will be said of General 
Thomas on the occasion, but none will be too good for the 
man ; and I hope he will be long held up to the rising gen- 
eration as the model soldier and man, whose death was a 
national calamity. We could ill afford to lose him, and I 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 277 

sincerely wish his type was more common in the army than 

it is. 

" Very truly yours, 

"John Gibbon." 



Feom Hon. Hamilton Fish. 

" Glenclyffe, Gainson's P.-O., N. Y., Novembers, 1879. 
" H. C CoEBiN, Esq., Secretary, etc., Washington, D. C. : 

" Dear Sir, — I am in receipt of the invitation, addressed 
to tlie president of the Union League Club (New York), 
inviting myself and the members of the club to participate 
with the Society of the Army of the Cumberland in the cere- 
monies incident to the unveiling of the Thomas statue. 

" I regret that the state of my health will not allow me to 
indulge the hope that I may be present on this interesting 
occasion. 

" I am in the country, unable to see any of the members 
of the Club, but send the invitation to the secretary, confident 
that the members will appreciate the compliment of the in- 
vitation, and that such as can will be glad to unite with your 
Society in rendering honors to one of the most gallant of the 
soldiers of his country. 

" I am, very respectfully, 

"Hamilton Fish, 
" President Union League Club, New York." 



From General W. P. Carlin. 

" Headquarters, Fort Yates, D. T., November 13, 1879. 

" Colonel H. C. Corbin, Secretary of the Committee So- 
ciety of the Army of the Cumberland, Washington, D. C. : 
" Dear Sir, — I regret deeply that I shall be unable to 



278 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

accept the invitation of the committee to attend the eleventh 
annual reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cum- 
berland and the unveiling of the equestrian statue of our 
honored commander, Major-General George H. Thomas, on 
the 19th and 20th instants. 

" It would be extremely gratifying to behold the monu- 
ment to one who so richly deserved to be thus commemorated 
by his countrymen and his comrades-in-arms. The Society 
of the Army of the Cumberland has done itself honor by 
erecting a monument to General Thomas. The memory of 
such a man should be perpetuated. When future generations 
seek in history for a character that was perfectly true and 
perfectly just and perfectly unselfish, they will find it in the 
life of Major-General George H. Thomas. 
" Very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

" W. P. Carlin, 
" Brevet IMajor-General U.S.A." 



From Governor R. W. Cobb. 

"State of Alabama, Executive Department, 
"Montgomery, Ala., November 18, 1879. 

« General A. McD. McCook, Washington City, D. C. : 

" General, — I regret that it will not be in my power to 
accept your invitation to attend the eleventh reunion of the 
Society of the Army of the Cumljerland and participate in 
the ceremonies attending the unveiling of the Thomas statue. 
I should be happy to form the acquaintance of your gallant 
corapanions-in-arms who will be present on tliat occasion and 
join them in homage to the memory of an illustrious citizen, 
whose valor and achievements are the theme of some of the 
most brilliant chapters in American history. It was my for- 



THE THOMAS MONUMENT. 279 

tune to fight on the other side, but I none the less appreciate 
the devotion and sacrifices of the Union soldier, and am none 
the less proud of his splendid deeds of endurance and daring. 
" Very respectfully, general, 

" Your obedient servant, 

"R. W. Cobb." 



Feom Governor George B. McClellan. 

"State of New Jersey, Executive Department, 
"Trenton, November 16, 1879. 

" CoLOXEL H. C. Corbin, Secretary of Committee : 

" Sir, — I have deferred acknowledging the committee's 

very courteous invitation to be present at the unveiling of the 

statue of General George H. Thomas, with the hope that I 

might feel myself able to attend. I regret, most sincerely, 

that a too slow recovery from a severe illness obliges me to 

absent myself. 

" No one could esteem more highly than myself the honor 

of being permitted to unite in doing honor to the memory of 

one whose merits as a soldier and a man should secure for him 

a high and lasting place in the memory of his country. Those 

who served under his orders — so often the best judges of 

military merit — have never, I think, failed to do him Ample 

justice. 

" Even had he no other title to fame as a soldier and to 

gratitude as a citizen, the magnificent self-possession with 

which he disregarded the attempts of men ignorant of the 

circumstances, or incapable of appreciating them, to force 

him to give battle prematurely, and the admirable skill and 

force with which he fought the battle of Nashville when the 

pro])er moment arrived, would alone suffice to place him 

high, very high, on the list of those accomplished generals 

who have deserved well of America. 



280 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

"Regretting from my heart that I cannot unite with his 
immediate comrades of the gallant Army of the Cumberland 
in laying one more tribute of admiration and respect upon 
the monument of the man I am proud to regard as a friend 

and comrade, 

" I am, very truly, 

*' Your obedient servant, 

"Geo. B. McClellax." 



From Governor Charles M. Croswell. 

"State of Michigan, Executive Office, 
"Adrian, November 15, 1879. 

" Sir, — I am in receipt of your very courteous invitation 
to attend the eleventh reunion of the Society of the Army of 
the Cumberland, and to participate in the ceremonies attend- 
ing the unveiling of the Thomas statue at Washington, on 
the 19th and 20th days of the present month. 

" I would gladly join you on the occasion referred to in 
doing honor to the memory of one of the truest and noblest 
of those heroes whose skill and valor saved to us a nation un- 
broken, but I regret to say that my official engagements are 
such as to prevent my being present and personally partici- 
pating in the proceedings. 

" Thanking you cordially for your kind invitation, 
" I am, your obedient servant, 

" Chari.es M. Croswell." 



From Ex-Governor Hiliard Hall. 

"North Bennington, Yt., November 17, 1879. 
"Dear Sir, — I should be glad to manifest my high ad- 
miration of the military services and character of General 



y ...l? ©F TlJ^ 




CUliaEEl 



THE THOMAS STATUE. 281 

Thomas, and my enduring respect for his memory, by being 
present at the unveiling of his statue in Washington, but the 
distance from my residence and my great age — nearly eighty- 
five — must necessarily prevent my attendance. 
" I am, dear sir, 

" Very respectfully yours, 

"HiLiARD Hall. 
" H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., 
" Secretary of Committee of the General Thomas statue." 



From Hon. Alfred M. Scales. 

" Hon. James A. Garfield, and Others, — The invita- 
tion from you to be present at the unveiling of tlie Thomas 
statue has been duly received. This is a Avorthy tribute of a 
great country to one of her greatest soldiers, and, while I feel 
honored by the invitation, I regret to say that prior and in- 
dispensable engagements will compel my absence. 

"Very respectfully, 

"A. M. Scales." 



From Governor Wm. E. Smith. 

" State of AVisconsin, Executive Department, 
"Madison, November 11, 1879. 

"H. C. CoRBiN, Esq., Secretary Local Executive Committee 
Society of the Army of the Cumberland, 1221 H Street, 
Washington, D. C. : 
" Sir, — I have had the honor to receive, for myself and 
staff, an invitation to attend the eleventh reunion of the 
Society of the Army of the Cumberland, November 19th and 
20th instants, and participate in the ceremonies attending the 
unveiling of the Thomas statue, and beg to return to the com- 
mittee my very sincere thanks therefor, with the assurance 



282 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

that I much regret that official duties will prevent me from 
leaving Wisconsin at that time. Were my engagements less 
pressing, I should most assuredly avail myself of the privilege 
and the honor of attending this reunion, and testifying to the 
high esteem in which the fame and memory of General 
Thomas is held by myself and all the patriotic people of 
Wisconsin. 

"Very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

"Wm. E. Smith." 

Feom ColoneU Toland Jones. 

" London, Ohio, November 12, 1879. 

" Colonel H. C. Corbin, Washington, D. C. : 

" Dear Sir, — I have been in receipt of your kind invita- 
tion to attend the reunion of the Army of the Cumberland, 
to be held on the 19th and 20th of this present month, and 
know not what to say, for I am so anxious to be with you, and 
dare not say that I will, and cannot say now that I will not. 
" But it matters but very little about my presence, in con- 
sideration of the great concourse which will assemble to do 
honor to tlie greatest hero of the Army of the Cumberland. 

" I would like to see the brazen image of our grand old 
hero unveiled, — that image cast from the brass that under 
his direction hurled the iron into the soul of the Rebellion, 
and did so much to perpetuate the Union, which was the pole 
star of all his actions. That mute statue of that most modest 
hero, I hope, will stand and speak to untold generations of 
admiring patriots in all this land while history traces the 
grandest deeds of earth's noblest men. 

" I have the honor. Colonel, to be, 
" Yours most truly, 

"ToLAND Jones." 



the thomas statue. 283 

From Hon. John Tyler, Jr. 

"Washington City, November 15, 1879. 
"Colonel H. C. Corbin, Secretary Committee Eleventh 
lleimiou Array of the Cumberland : 
" Colonel, — I have received your invitation, on behalf of 
the Society of the Army of the Cumberland, to the nnveil- 
ing of the Thomas statue, addressed to myself and daughters, 
and accept the courtesy. 

" United with General Thomas by family ties and those of 
blood, the honors paid to his memory are more than ordinarily 
gratifying to us. 

" The last private letter that he wrote before his death was 
most likely to myself, in kindly reference to those of our joint 
houses, and my reply was on its way to him when the tele- 
graph announced his decease. 

" With sincere acknowledgments, 

"John Tyler, Jr." 



From General William H. Gibson. 

" Tiffin, Ohio, October 31, 1879. 

" Thomas L. Young : 

"Dear General, — I have yours of the 28th instant, 
urging my attendance at the approaching reunion of the 
Society of the Army of the Cumberland. It is my purpose 
to be present on that occasion, and I hope to meet thousands 
of that grand old organization, gathered from the ends of the 
earth to honor the memory of the ' grandest Roman of them 
all,' the immortal General George H. Thomas. 

" I shall do all in my power to secure a movement ' in 
force' upon the capital, to renew old memories and exchange 
greetings. 

" I am, very truly, 

"William H. Gibson." 



284 memoir of maj.-gen. george h. thomas. 
From General M. R. Morgan. 

" St. Paul, Minnesota, November 10, 1879. 
"Colonel H. C, Coebin, U. S. Army, Secretary Execu- 
tive Committee Society of the Army of tlie Cumberland, 
Washingtou, D. C. : 
" Dear Colonel, — I regret I am so far away from 
Washington at this time that I find it impracticable to be 
with you on the 19th and 20th. Although I cannot be there 
to join in doing honor to the memory of General George H. 
Thomas, now, as always since my boyhood, I have for him but 
affectionate remembrances. All demonstrations in honor of 
such a man are in the interest of those virtues which a nation 
should delight to foster. 

" I am, most sincerely, 

"M. R. Morgan, 
"Brigadier-General (by brevet) U.S.A." 



From Colonel Alfred L. Hough. 

" Camp on the Animos, Col., November 7, 1879. 
" H. C. CoRBiN, Secretary of Committee. : 

"Sir, — I respectfully acknowledge the receipt of request 
to attend the eleventh reunion of the Society of the Army of 
the Cumberland. In great disappointment I am compelled 
to inform the committee that I cannot be present. 

" I have long looked forward to the promised pleasure and 
duty of assisting in unveiling the statue of our loved com- 
mander, but fate wills it differently. 

" My long and close official connection Avith General 
Thomas, ending only with his life, my personal affection for 
him in life, and my veneration of his memory would seem 
to make it incumbent that I should be with my comrades in 



THE THOMAS STATUE. 285 

their performance of so pleasant a duty, but a threatened 
Indian war lias luirried me from a comparatively Eastern jjost 
to the mountains of Colorado, and duty detains me here. 

" I trust you will have a brotherly reunion, as you cannot 
but have when the memory of our grand hero, whom we all 
so loved, shall be so vividly brought to your minds and 
hearts. 

" Very truly and affectionately, 

" Your comrade, 

"A. L. Hough." 



FitOM Captain E. A. Otis. 

" Chicago, November 14, 1879. 
"General, James A. Garfield, Chairman Executive Com- 
mittee, etc., Washington, D. C. : 

" General, — I have delayed an answer to the invitation 
to attend the reunion of our Society, hoping to meet with 
you, but positive engagements prevent it. 

"■ The occasion is one of deep interest, not only to our 
Society, but to every soldier in the grand old Army of the 
Cumberland. 

"■ The unveiling of the statue of our glorious leader. Gen- 
eral George H. Thomas, is an event of Avide significance. The 
place has been appropriately chosen. At the seat of govern- 
ment of the nation which he served so loyally and well, his 
monument, raised by the loving hands of his old comrades, 
will remain to future ages, while his memory will be enshrined 
forever in the hearts of a grateful and patriotic people. 
Deeply regretting that I cannot be with you in person, as I 
am in spirit, I remain, 

" Fraternally yours, 

"E. A. Otis." 



286 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

The foregoing letters, representing all the parts of our re- 
public, include letters from those who were on the opposite 
side in the great contest of 1861-65. It will be seen that 
Thomas commanded the admiration not only of his friends, 
but also of those who M'ere for a short time his enemies. 

After the statue was unveiled, various persons were called 
upon for impromptu speeches, a few of which are here re- 
produced. 

Speech of General \Y. T. Sheeman. 

"Mr. President, Comrades of the Arjiy of the Cum- 
berland, Ladies and Gentlemen, — There is a custom in 
army societies, I think more honored in the breach than in the 
observance, after the regular exercises are over, to call upon 
friends to make a few remarks. We call it a ' bummer meeting,' 
and it generally consists in making a few remarks for the ])ur- 
pose of creating laughter. But on this occasion I disclaim feel- 
ing disposed to adhere to that system of making fun. Because 
we have assembled to-day, and we have all been impressed 
with the majestic appearance of the statue, and every citizen 
of Washington, and every member of the Army of the Cum- 
berland, and I, your friend and once your own commander, 
thank you all for having done a noble work and done it well. 
The relations between Thomas and myself were more of a 
social character than of the commander and commanded. You 
remember that our acquaintance began in boyhood, and it was 
very hard, after growing up side by side with him, afterwards 
to believe him to be a hero. But I know that General 
Thomas had noble qualities. I have listened to him thou- 
sands of times before the civil war, — we had been comrades 
together long; before we dreamed of a civil war. You men 
only saw him in his military dignity ; you did not, could not. 



, SPEECH OF GENERAL W. T. SHERMAN. 287 

love him as we did. Here is Van Vliet, the only classmate 
beside myself who survived his class of '42. Yes, comrades, 
at ^yest Point, in 1836, we entered almost together, and stayed 
there till '42, and we afterwards served together fourteen al- 
most consecutive years, long before we thought about the 
Army of the Cumberland, or cared for it, and I am glad now 
to be able to add something to the praise to which he is en- 
titled in America's history. I have been on every occasion 
pleased to hear others speak of George H. Thomas, and when 
Garfield, in 1870, spoke in Cleveland, Ohio, I thought he 
had capped the climax and made a picture that would stand 
forever. The monument which Garfield erected in that re- 
union held at Cleveland stands high in my memory and will 
live forever in history. Again, here in your own capital, as 
the news of the death of Thomas came in on that April day 
in 1870, there was a memorial service, and Chief Justice 
Chase, Generals Stark, Garfield, Cox, and Warner all spoke 
on this noble subject. I said a few words, and, indeed, that 
day remarks were made that are forever recorded on the 
pages of history. The orator this morning made several 
points that remained deeply fixed in my mind. The fact that 
Thomas began at the bottom as a soldier, — a cadet, a second 
lieutenant and first lieutenant, and captain, and major, lieu- 
tenant-colonel, brigadier-general, and major-general, — outlines 
his noble character, and nothing could prevail against that 
powerful element in his character that forbade him to jump 
over intermediate grades of command. There is another 
point which Matthews spoke of to-day, and I want to impress 
it on the Virginians. The day is coming, gentlemen of Vir- 
ginia, of North Carolina, of South Carolina, of Alabama, 
when you and your fellow-citizens will be making their pil- 
grimage to this magnificent monument, just as all have done 
to that of Washington, and say that there was a man who, 
under the tumult and excitement of the times, stood true and 



288 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

firm to his country, and he is the hero, and that brave 
George Thomas will become the idol of the South. I pre- 
dict it, gentlemen ; I won't be alive then, nor I don't want to 
live long enough to see it. There is one other point, gentle- 
men, and I will give place to some one else. There is a point 
of history which I wish to mention, and which seems to me 
to liave been entirely forgotten. George Thomas was indebted 
for his first commission as brigadier-general to Kobert Ander- 
son, and to him alone. I was present myself, and I heard 
him ask ISIr. Lincoln to appoint Thomas a brigadier-general, 
to allow him to go with him into Kentucky. I know that 
the promise was fulfilled, for I went with him to Kentucky to 
Robert Anderson. Gentlemen of the Army of the Cumber- 
land, you owe the fact that you had such a man as Thomas, 
from the first to the last days of his glorious career, to An- 
derson. Yet there are men now living who write and pub- 
lish that Robert Anderson was not true. If George Washing- 
ton was a traitor, then Anderson was a traitor ; but if Wash- 
ington was a patriot, then so was Robert Anderson. That 
man could not bear even to think of anything wrong, and any 
man that talks about Robert Anderson — well, I had better 
not say anything more about that man. George Thomas and 
Robert Anderson, your first commanders : they were the first 
in Kentucky to organize the Army of the Cumberland, — not 
the great aggressive army itself, but the grand nucleus of that 
army. You have the right to look to that army, for it has 
acquired its reputation tln-ough your courage and loyalty, and 
your reputation is dear to me as it is to all of you. Yes, 
friends and fellow-soldiers, I wish I had you all in one com- 
pass, so that there wouldn't be ladies and gentlemen and 
citizens to hear us. I wish that I could have a few hours' 
talk with you, and I could ex})lain to you a great many things 
which you don't understand." 



address of secretary mccrarv. 289 

Speech of Seceetary JMcCrary. 

"Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, — I know 
not what T, a civilian, can say to you uj3on this occasion. It 
apjiears to rae to be an occasion when you desire and expect 
to hear from those heroes of the great war who are here to- 
night in sucli hu'ge numbers. Perhaps, however, it may not 
be inappropriate for me to extend to the Society of the Army 
of the Cumberland, upon this most interesting occasion, liearty 
greeting from the people of my own State of Iowa, and to 
say to you in their name that I know they all, both soldiers 
and citizens, feel a deep interest in these proceedings, and earn- 
estly desire, in common with the people of the entire country, 
to join with you in giving all honor to the memory of that 
brave, patient, patriotic soldier, George H. Thomas. 

" The people of the State of Iowa will yield to none in 
rendering all honor, all praise, all glory, not only to the 
officers, but to the men who stood in the ranks and fought 
the battles of the Constitution and Union. Upon the block 
of granite which that State contributed to the Washing- 
ton monument there is this inscription : " Iowa — her affec- 
tions, like the rivers of her borders, flow to an inseparable 
Union." When these words were written, in the first years 
of the State's existence, they were regarded as a beautiful and 
somewhat poetic sentiment. Neither the author of the words 
noi* the people, at that time, imagined how soon they were to 
be verified and written in shining letters of light upon his- 
tory's page by the heroism of Iowa's soldiers, in common 
with the soldiers of all the loyal States, upon the field of 
battle. 

"When the war of the Rebellion commenced the State of 
Iowa was but fifteen years old, and yet before the close of the 
war she had sent to the front seventy-five thousand men, — an 
army far larger than the entire army of the Revolution at its 

19 



290 MEMOIR OF MAJ.-GEN. GEORGE H. THOMAS. 

maximum, and composed of men as brave as ever drew a 
sabre or shouldered a musket. 

" These men went forth, under the lead of Grant, Sherman, 
Thomas, and other illustriou's patriots-in-arras, to make good 
the motto of their noble young State, and to show to the 
world that the Union of these States can no more be severed 
than can the mingled waters of the Mississippi and the Mis- 
souri as they united flow on to the sea. The soldiers of Iowa 
upheld by their deeds of valor the motto which Iowa had 
inscribed upon the monument erected to the memory of the 
Father of His Country and of the Union. They maintained 
the principle that the Union was then, and forever should be, 
inseparable. Because of this fact, established by the heroism 
of the great armies of the republic, we may reasonably hope 
and believe that this great nation is just entering upon a 
career of greatness, grandeur, and beneficence without a par- 
allel in the history of the world. 

"We owe it all to the noble men who stood in the ranks, 
and the noble commanders who led them on, to fight the 
battles and win the victories of the Union. Ijadies and gen- 
tlemen, look upon this picture. What a debt of gratitude we 
owe to those brave men who imperilled their lives that the 
Union might live! To such heroes as General Thomas, who 
went forth to fight the great battles and win the great victo- 
ries of the Union, we cannot pay too much homage. In the 
history of coming ages their names will be recorded, and 
coming peoples, enjoying the fruits of their labor and bravery, 
will bless them." 

General Anson G. McCook, the orator of the occasion, 
delivered a beautiful address to the Society, in the course of 
which he referred to General Thomas as follows : 



ADDRESS OF GENERAL ANSON G. MCCOOK. 291 

"My Comrades, — Very briefly, and I fear very imper- 
fectly, I have discharged the duty assigned me. To-day, with 
appropriate ceremonies, we unveiled the statue of our old 
commander. By it we show to this and succeeding genera- 
tions our reverence for his memory, our appreciation of his 
great and invaluable services. Made of enduring bronze, it 
will stand for all time, teaching daily the lesson of his life : 
that love of country and obedience to its laws are the first and 
paramount duties of an American citizen. His patriotism was 
not circumscribed by the narrow limits of his native State, 
but it was as broad and catholic as his own great nature. 
Virginia, the mother of States and of statesmen, has been the 
birthplace of many whose fame and virtues are the common 
heritage of the republic; but the State of Washington, of 
Jefferson, of Madison, of Marshall, and of Scott, never 
brought forth a nobler son, a better citizen, a truer soldier, or 
a more unselfish patriot than George H. Thomas." 



CONCLUSION. 

In the foregoing pages it has been the aim of the writer to 
give not only his own opinion of General Thomas, but also to 
embody the opinions of those who were acquainted witli him 
personally, and who were cognizant of his services as a sol- 
dier. The record of such a man is full of the highest incen- 
tives to virtue, and to all those noble traits which beautify, 
adorn, and ennoble human character. 

It is hoped that this tribute may serve not only to perpet- 
uate his memory, but to present his illustrious example for 
the imitation of the young men of the army, as also those in 
civil pursuits all over the land. No more beautiful character 
ever lived. He was indeed a leader in whom Avas no 
guile. Unselfish, pure in mind and heart, noble, generous, 
and forgiving, these were the characteristic attributes of 
George Henry Thomas. 



292 



z. 



r 



APPENDIX. 

Coj/j.vj:l Stanley Matthews, who had W;n g^^ilccted 
to ddiver an addr«;.s on tlie (ycjtoAVyn of the unveiling of the 
statue, BjKjke as follows : 

" According to the mytholr>gy of the ancient Greeks, Mem- 
ory was the mother of the Mu.%^is; g^> that, a« Plutarch t/;lls, 
tlie cornplet'^fl HiHt(tr\i()fA of nine was indude^I under the 
Cfjrnrnon name of Kemembrances. 

"The truth in the fiction is that history is the f^arent of 
art. And as nature is the art whereby G<xl c^^astitutes and 
governs the world, because it is the revelation of the invisible 
and eternal, in forms of sublimity and Ix^uty, to the mind 
of man, so human art, in all its varied forras, — poetry, elo- 
quence, masic, painting, sculpture, architecture, — is but the 
inter})reter and expounder of the divine art, and fixes in it« 
express and admirable forms wliatsoever that Ls divine which 
it discovers in nature or in man. The heroic in action and 
suffering mast precede, because it inspires, the heroic in rep- 
rfsentation, Man mas"t W-ome conscious of the noble and 
the good Vjefore he can express it ; and he can become con- 
scioas of it only in his experience. GfxLs and heroes walked 
the earth, and wrought their wonders in action and suffering, 
before Phidias and Praxiteles could emWly them. 

'•'Achilles, first ; aftenvard Homer. And art is therefore, 
if a prophc^rt', nevertheless, only l>ecaase it is a memorial ; 
for it is on the prej;/ared and receptive Ijackground of the past 



294 APPENDIX. 

that it paints or carves visions of the glory it foretells. Lord 
Bacon said, 'As statues and pictures are dumb histories, so 
histories are speaking pictures.' 

" The name of George Henry Thomas, soldier and patriot, 
has already been inscribed on that scroll of honorable fame 
which posterity will reverently guard in the archives of our 
national history. To-day art, summoned to its proper work, 
lifts aloft the dignity and majesty of his person, as the So- 
ciety of the Army of the Cumberland, by these public acts 
and solemn ceremonials, dedicates to the people of the United 
States the form and presence of its beloved commander. 

"Surely this was a noble subject for the modeller's plastic 
hand. What dignity and power, what firmness and self- 
possession, what immobility, and yet what quiet graciousness, 
what gravity, and what benignity were set together in the 
manly proportions of his physical frame ! A presence to 
inspire respect, but winning confidence and trust. He was 
large, firm-planted, and paternal, like a sturdy oak, striking 
its roots deep in the earth, but with outspreading branches 
offering protection and shelter from fierce heats or fiercer 
storms. Large and weighty, his movements were easy and 
quiet, his postures and gestures unobtrusive, so that his port 
and mien suggested a reserve of strength not called into 
action. Thus his physical power seemed to be magnified, and 
yet there was nothing in him ponderous, overwhelming, or 
boisterous, and he breathed and spoke gently and in soft 
tones, like a woman or a child. In fine, he was 

" ' A combination and a form, indeed, 
Where every god did seem to set his seal 
To give the world assurance of a man.' 

" The proportions of his physical frame were in harmony 
with those of the spiritual body which inhabited and ani- 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 295 

mated it. The internal, as well as the external, man was 
statuesque, massive, monumental. Vigor and endurance 
w^ere qualities alike of his material and his mental consti- 
tution. Strength was the base and pediment on which was 
grounded and built up the lofty structure of his character, 
capped and crowned with simplicity, — ' whole in himself,' — a 
shaft and column of Doric style and beauty : 

" ' Eicli in saving common sense, 
And, as the greatest only are, 
In his simplicity sublime.' 

" ' O good gray head, which all men knew, 
iron nerve to true occasion true, 
fall'n at length that tower of strength 
"Which stood four-square to all the winds that blew !' 

" There was nothing in him fluctuating, mercurial, or 
eccentric. He was set, inflexible, undeviating, steering 
steadily by the stars, upon the arc of a great circle. He 
was resolute, unyielding, with a fortitude incapable of in- 
timidation or dismay, and yet without pretension, boasting, 
self-assertion, or noisy demonstration. He was conspicuous 
for modesty and dignity, and was altogether free from affecta- 
tion or envy. 

" He did not lack in proper self-esteem ; but did not think 
more highly of himself than he ought. Better than any 
other man could, he took the measure of his own dimensions, 
and never worried lest he might be overlooked or neglected, 
not doubting that sooner or later he would gravitate by his 
own weight and power to his predestined place, over all 
opposition and contradiction. 

" But he was not coarse, vulgar, and impassive, careless 
of the good opinion of good men ; rather, on the contrary, he 
was quick in his sensibilities, keen to detect the selfishness of 



296 APPENDIX. 

Others, and smarted under a sense of injustice when inflicted 
upon himself. Yet no personal consideration ever warped 
his judgment or clouded his sense of duty. He was genial 
and frank in his communications, yet reticent and self-con- 
tained as to all that related to himself, neither inviting nor 
volunteering confidences. As he had nothing to conceal, his 
whole character was so transparent that he never opened him- 
self to misconstructions. He did not take refuge from sus- 
picions of ignorance in an affectation of the mystery of silence; 
for he was as a living epistle, known and read of all men. No 
conspicuous man in our recent history is better known as to 
his inmost character, more thoroughly understood, or more 
correctly appreciated ; so that there is no reason to believe 
that the judgment of posterity as to his place in history will 
be other than a record of contemporary opinion. There lies 
buried with him in his grave no mysteiy, to pluck the heart 
out of which will require that he should ever be disturbed in 
his resting-place. 

" It is not too much to say of General Thomas that he was 
a model soldier. Arms was his chosen profession. The 
whole period of his life, from youth to his untimely death, 
was spent in its study and practice. He had no ambition 
outside of it. His only ambition in it was to attain the re- 
wards it held out to merit. He envied no superior his rank. 
He was in no haste to rise upon the misfortunes of others. 
He recognized but one way to glory : the path of duty. 

" He perfected himself by patient painstaking in all its 
details. He carefully learned the duties of high command 
by a thorough practical experience of those of every inferior 
and subordinate responsibility. He became thus an adept in 
the knowledge and use of every arm of the service, and 
learned as an apprentice to handle and work every part of the 
great machinery and enginery of war. 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 297 

"At the age of twenty, in 1836, he entered the Military 
Academy. In 1840, having gradnated, he was commissioned 
as a second lieutenant, and rose successively through every 
intermediate grade until, on December 15, 1864, the date of 
the first day's battle at Nashville, he was promoted to be a 
major-general in the army of the United States. 

" In each stage in his military history he saw active ser- 
vice appropriate to his rank, receiving his first brevet while 
a second lieutenant, for gallantry and good conduct, in 1841, 
in the war against the Florida Indians; in the war against 
Mexico, in 1846-48, at Fort Brown, Monterey, and Buena 
Vista; again, in Florida, in 1849-50, against the Semiuoles; 
as an instructor of artillery and cavalry in the Military 
Academy, from 1851 to 1854 ; on frontier duty in California 
and in Texas; until the breaking out of the civil war, in 1861, 
found him a lieutenant-colonel of the Second Cavalry, of 
which he then became colonel. 

" These were the days and years of preparation, of the 
study and practice of military art, the formation of military 
habits, the education and training of the military charac- 
ter, the development and cultivation of the military instinct. 
And the seed sown during this season bore its ample fruits in 
due time. 

"At the beginning of the Rebellion, in 1861, he had at- 
tained the forty-fifth year of his age, the full age of a ma- 
tured and ripened manhood. He was no longer in the flush 
and hey-day of impetuous youth. He had grown to his 
stature gradually and slowly, as always grows timber close- 
grained and of fine fibre. What he was capable of doing 
he had learned to do in the usual exercise and natural pro- 
cesses of his understanding. He was neither a genius, accom- 
plishing results without apparent means by lightning-strokes 
of magic and mere will, nor was he a favorite child of for- 



298 APPENDIX. 

tune, winning success by accident and chance against odds, 
plucking the flower safely out of the nettle danger when, by 
the common laws of human conduct, he ought to have suf- 
fered the penalty of rashness and improvidence. One of the 
valuable lessons of his military career is that every success 
rests upon the rational basis of a thorough organization of the 
means necessary to insure it, — that valor is nothing better than 
blind and bloody persistence unless supported on either flank 
by knowledge and prudence. 

"This was the secret of one of the chief characteristics of 
his work : its thoroughness. He did nothing by halves. He 
wasted no material or time in experiments, the issue of which 
were indeterminate. He did not worry and wear out his ranks 
in purposeless marches and countermarches, to make them 
believe he was doing something when he was not. He care- 
fully nursed and provided for them, so as to bring his troops 
to the highest point in spirit and efficiency, and kept them 
well in hand. He determined what most important end was 
reasonably practicable ; he matured the plan best adapted to 
secure its accomplishment, and carefully gathered and organ- 
ized the means necessary for its execution ; and then, when 
all things were ready, he launched the dread thunderbolt of 
power, and witli one stroke dealt the destruction he had de- 
vised. Mill Spring and Nashville — his first and last battles 
in the West — are capital illustrations of this feature of his 
military character. In reference to this last memorable and 
decisive battle of Nashville, the importunity and impatience 
of his superiors, at a distance too great to appreciate the diffi- 
culties of his situation, provoked from him no complaint. He 
telegraphed to the then Lieutenant-General, ' I can only say I 
have done all in my power to prepare, and if you should 
deem it necessary to relieve me, I shall submit without a 
murmur.' When the time arrived for the delivery of the 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 299 

meditated blow, and its complete and thorough success was 
known, he received ample compensation for this temporary 
distrust in hearty and ungrudging congratulations from Presi- 
dent, Secretary of AYar, and Lieutenant-General, as creditable 
to them as they were gratifying and just to him, confirmed 
as they were by the thanks of Congress, for the skill and 
dauntless courage by wiiich the rebel army under General 
Hood was signally defeated and driven from the State of 
Tennessee. 

"Speaking of the circumstances of that occasion. General 
J. D. Cox, a most competent judge, himself a most honorable 
participant in its trials and its triumphs, iu his oration at 
Chicago in 1868 said, — 

" ' Fortunately our commander at Nashville was a man 
of "Washington ian character and will, and, knowing that his 
country's cause depended upon his being right, and not upon 
his merely seeming so, he waited with immovable firmness for 
the right hour to come. It came, and with it a justification of 
both his military skill and his own self-forgetful patriotism, 
so complete and glorious that it would be a mere waste of 
words for me to talk about it.' 

" This episode finely illustrates not only the temper of 
that crisis in our public affairs, but the best characteristics of 
its chief figure. 

"It was the dictate of a sound and prudent judgment, and 
became the habit of his life, to assume no important responsi- 
bility which he did not feel well prepared to meet. We have 
seen that at Nashville, with the experience of more than three 
years of constant and active service, he was willing rather to 
be relieved from his command than to accept the responsi- 
bility of a movement he believed to be premature. In an 
earlier stage of his service, he resisted the temptation of am- 
bition by declining what amounted to promotion because he 



300 APPENDIX. 

was able to prefer the jDublic good to his personal advance- 
ment. In the fall of 1862 the circumstances, as related by 
General Buell himself in a private, unpublished note, were 
as follows : 

" ' The army was to move on the 30th of September against 
Bragg, who occupied Bardstown, Frankfort, and, in fact, the 
whole of Central Kentucky. On the morning of the 29th 
an order was received from Washington assigning General 
Thomas to the command in my stead. He very soon came to 
my room and stated his intention to ask the revocation of the 
order ; that he was not prepared by information and study 
for the responsibility of the command. I tried to dissuade 
him, told him that I would give him all of my information 
and plans, and assured him of my confidence in his success. 
Finding him determined, I said that I could under no cir- 
cumstances consent to his sending a despatch which could 
imply that I had any wish or influence in the matter. He 
promised that much, went away, and after a while returned 
with the message which he had prepared for General Halleck. 
I thought that he was actuated in his course by a generous 
confidence in me and a modest distrust of himself with so 
little warning; and I considered that both motives did honor 
to his sterling character.' 

" His language in the despatch referred to was this : 

"'General Buell's preparations have been completed to 
move against the enemy, and I therefore respectfully ask that 
he may be retained in command. My position is very em- 
barrassing, not being as well informed as I should be as the 
commander of this army, and on the assumption of such re- 
sponsibility.' 

"But the quality which more than all others specifically 
and constitutionally distinguished General Thomas was his 
invincibility, his heroic faculty for enduring, unwearied, 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 301 

and successful obstinacy in defence. It was not mere brute 
courage nor insensibility to danger. Neither was it mere 
resoluteness and stoutness of heart, nor a certain sullen defi- 
ance, which in some cases has seemed to await an expected 
adversity. It was cheerful and sweet tempered, although of 
supreme seriousness and intensity. But its chief faculty was 
its contagion, by which it propagated its fearlessness and 
hopefulness to the whole body of his support ; so that every 
soldier in his company felt an assurance of security and suc- 
cess in his presence and authority. The latent heat of his 
passion grew into a glow under heavy hammering, and spread 
through all the particles that adhered and gathered to it, until 
the fused and molten mass, red hot with its combustion, con- 
sumed everything that approached it. It was the sympatliy 
of confidence and self-devotion that indlssolubly bound to- 
gether commander and men, and made them jointly invinc- 
ible. It was a shield which quenched the fiery darts of 
the adversary, an armor of tempered steel which none of 
his arrows could pierce. 

" A signal illustration of this power of resistance is fur- 
nished by the course of battle at Stone River, where he stayed 
the tide of rebel success with his immovable front. But its 
most conspicuous example is seen on the last day's fighting at 
Chickamauga. In his memorial oration at Cleveland in 1870, 
General Garfield — himself soldier, scholar, and statesman — 
in a tribute of which the highest praise is to say that it 
is worthy both of himself and of its theme, in most felicitous 
phrase, has drawn his i^icture as he appeared in that scene. 
He says, — 

"'While men shall read the history of battles, they will 
never fail to study and admire the work of Thomas during 
that afternoon. With but twenty-five thousand men, formed 
in a semicircle, of which he himself was the centre and soul, 



302 APPENDIX. 

he successfully resisted for more than five hours the repeated 
assaults of an army of sixty-five thousand men flushed with 
victory and bent on his annihilation. . . . When night had 
closed over the combatants, the last sound of battle was the 
boomino; of Thomas's shells burstins; amono; his baffled and 
retreating assailants. He was indeed the " Rock of Chicka- 
raauga," against which the wild waves of battle dashed in 
vain. It will stand written forever in the annals of his 
country that there he saved from destruction the Army of 
the Cumberland, — 

" ' A day of onsets of despair I 
Dash'd on every rocky square, 
Their surging charges foamed themselves away.' 

"Speaking of him in the general order announcing his 
death, the general of the army, in terms both just and w^arm, 
recorded and published his estimate of the character and 
career of General Thomas. He said, — 

" ' The general has known General Thomas intimately since 
they sat, as boys, on the same bench, and the quality in him 
which he holds up for the admiration and example of the 
young is his complete and entire devotion to duty. Though 
sent to Florida, to Mexico, to Texas, to Arizona, when duty 
there was absolute banishment, he went cheerfully, and never 
asked a personal favor, exemption, or leave of absence. In 
battle he never wavered. Firm, and of full faith in his cause, 
he knew it would prevail, and he never sought advancement 
of rank or honor at the expense of any one. Whatever he 
earned of these was his own, and no one disputes his fame. 
The very impersonation of honesty, integrity, and honor, he 
will stand to us as the heau ideal of the soldier and gentle- 
man.' 

" General Thomas, in his simple and modest way, has left 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 303 

on record a statement concerning himself, whicli will be ac- 
cepted now without question. In a letter of November 26, 
1869, expressing his regret that he would not be able to attend 
the reunion of the Society of the Army of the Cumberland 
that year, at Indianapolis, he said, — 

" ' It was my hearty desire, from the beginning to the end 
of the late war, to accept with cheerfulness and perform with 
zeal and honesty whatever duties devolved upon me. At the 
same time it was my constant endeavor to impress those who 
were with me and under my command with a sense of the 
importance of the services they had undertaken to perform,' 

" These sentences show that George H. Thomas was some- 
thing more and better than merely a soldier. He was a patriot. 
He had a country and a cause, and in their defence he drew 
his sNvord. The principles and interests for which he perilled 
his life and staked his fame, more even than the gallant ser- 
vice he performed in their behalf, great and distinguished as 
it was, justify the celebration of this day. The occasion seems 
appropriate for a statement and vindication of the grounds on 
which they are established and now securely rest. 

" The reason and religion of all ages and races have recog- 
nized the love of country as a nobler passion than the love of 
life. The pleasure-loving Greek identified piety with patriot- 
ism ; and Pericles, when he pronounced the panegyric over 
the slain heroes of the Peloponnesian w^ar, knew not how to 
eulogize them better than to praise the institutions of their 
country, which was ca]:)able of producing citizens willing to 
die in their defence. The Latin poet framed a phrase of 
Roman devotedness for all times and lands when he sang, 
' Dulce ct decorum est pro patria mori.' The Christian re- 
ligion, although its founder is the Prince of Peace, and its 
advent was heralded by heavenly voices, proclaiming, ' Peace 
on earth, good will to men,' nevertheless has sanctioned and 



304 APPENDIX. 

sanctified, by the example of its Divine Author, that spirit of 
self-sacrifice which is the essence of all disinterested service 
which man can render to mankind ; and teaches that as the 
only true life is not the life of the body, but the life of God 
in the human soul, so the ends for which life was given are 
of more value than mere living. Reason and instinct com- 
bine to uphold the private law of self-defence ; and the pres- 
ervation of the State, at the expense of individual life, is 
but an extension and enlargement of the same principle in 
the domain of public law. For the maintenance of the social 
and political state is essential to the development of the indi- 
vidual destiny, and its life is part of the life of every citizen. 

"The law of all civil society, and under every form of 
government, has classed treason and rebellion with capital 
crimes, worthy of death ; too often when the sovereignty de- 
fied was embodied in the person of the monarch, perverting 
the presumptions of guilt and magnifying the unrealized 
imaginations and intentions of the accused into overt acts of 
crime. Our own constitution, jealous of liberty and yet mind- 
ful of the obligations of a loyal citizenship to a form of gov- 
ernment founded on popular assent and essential to the pres- 
ervation of public and private rights, limited the offence to 
overt acts of war against its existence or authority, or adhering 
to its armed enemies, giving them aid and comfort. 

" The mythology of the ancients represented the enormity 
and hideousness of rebellion under the figure of the monster 
Typhon. Lord Bacon, interpreting the fable, says, — 

"'And now the disaffected, uniting their force, at length 
break out into open rebellion, which, producing infinite mis- 
chiefs, ... is represented by the horrid and multij^lied de- 
formity of Typhon, with his hundred heads, denoting the 
divided powers ; his flaming mouths, denoting fire and de- 
vastation ; his girdles of snakes, denoting sieges and destruc- 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 305 

tion ; liis iron hands, slaughter and cruelty ; his eagle's talons, 
rapine and plunder ; his plumed body, perpetual rumors, 
contradictory accounts,' etc., and able for a time to strip from 
the majesty of the state the sinews of its power. 

" As patriotism is then both a duty and a <lelight, and 
treason and rebellion condemned as equally sinful and shame- 
ful, by every system of religion and every system of law, by 
the reason and instincts of mankind, whence are civil wars, 
and whence especially came ours f 

"Oftener, in governments where the sovereignty is hered- 
itary in the line of family descent, disputed successions divide 
the allegiance of the people and are settled by the arbitra- 
ment of arms. In despotisms, oppressed and burdened pop- 
ulations revolt against tyrannies, too severe and painful for 
longer endurance; and revolution becomes the last resort and 
remedy for men who love liberty better than life. 

"But the rebellion of the Confederate States, in 1861, was 
of a different class. It was not a war of factions, snp])orting 
rival claimants to an official succession, both acknowledging 
the legitimacy of the institutions of government; nor was it 
an attempted revolution in behalf of right against power. It 
was, on the contrary, a determined and desperate struggle 
not merely to overthrow a government, but to destroy the 
nationality represented by it. 

" The conspiracy which found in it its culmination ^vas an 
old one, and at first unconscious of its true nature and direc- 
tion. Its germ appeared in the opposition developed to the 
original adoption of national institution^ as formulated in the 
Federal constitution. It appeared soon after in the Virginia 
and Kentucky resolutions of '98, imputed to Jefferson, but 
which were hardly consistent with that theory of national 
sovereignty upon which he must have relied for a conviction 
of treason against Aaron Burr ; it was revived in the doc- 

20 



306 APPENDIX. 

trine of nullification, as defended by Calhoun and his school, 
leading logically to secession and civil war. 

" It was founded on a complete and fundamental miscon- 
ception of the character of the political institutions of the 
country, and of the relation of the governments of the States 
to that of the United States, and a faikire to realize the truth, 
that behind and below both these instrumentalities of politi- 
cal action there was a constituency that was their originating 
and supporting cause, the unity of which made one nation 
of all the people. The false doctrine which embodied these 
misconceptions was styled the doctrine of State rights ; but 
erroneously, for there had been no denial that the States had 
indestructible rights. The only controversy had been to de- 
fine what they were and who were the judges of their limits. 
The real meaning and mischief of the false dogma was State 
snpremacy, for it taught that to the States, and not to the 
United States, was committed the right to decide the boundary 
of their respective jurisdictions. Each in respect to the powers 
delegated or reserved was, of course, independent of the other, 
and in that sense sovereign ; but inasmuch as the constitu- 
tion and laws of the United States made in pursuance thereof, 
and all treaties made under their authority, it is declared, 
shall be the supreme law of the land, and the judges in every 
State shall be bound thereby, anything in the constitution or 
laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding; and inas- 
much as it is further declared that the judicial power of the 
United States shall extend to all cases in law and equity, 
arising under the constitution, the laws of the United States, 
and the treaties made under their authority, it is apparent 
that by the very frame of the fundamental and organic struc- 
ture of tlie national authority, the supreme sovereignty, in all 
its relations to individuals, to domestic States and foreign 
nations, belongs to that constituency which is rightly desig- 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 307 

nated as the people of the United States, and is exercised 
by that government which represents and effectuates their 
collective and national will. It is this supremacy of juris- 
diction and authority that constitutes our nationality, and 
is essential to it. In this view the unit of power and 
dignity is the nation ; the States are significant merely as 
its parts and fractions. The national government is the 
centre and circumference that encloses and unites within its 
complete circle the entire aggregate of our political institu- 
tions, and integrates them into one harmonious, co-operating 
whole. 

" Abroad, it establishes our place as one in the world's 
family of independent, equal, and sovereign nations. At 
home, within the sphere of its prescribed powers, and deter- 
mining their limits and applications, without responsibility to 
any superior, it acts upon the individual people whose allegi- 
ance it commands, with the irresistible energy and limitless 
resources of the supreme and sovereign will of an indivisible 
people. It is the result and exponent — the consequence, rather 
than the cause — of those common features and characteristics 
which belong to us as one people living in one land, which, 
in the aggregate, constitute a national character, the develop- 
ment of which, in social and political action, represents in 
history our national life and spirit. It is the ideal of all 
patriotic aspiration ; the inspiration and object of our public 
hopes ; the shield of our security ; the guardian of our per- 
sons and rights ; the defender of our interests ; our present 
help in every time of earthly need. The sway of its law is. 
the bond of our peace and the pledge of our prosperity ; the 
supremacy of its authority, the condition and cause of order, 
harmony, and co-operation among all the possible conflicts 
and jealousies of subordinate political agencies ; its flag — 
' the banner of beauty and glory,' — the symbol of our power 



308 APPENDIX. 

and pride, the emblem of our unity, tlie imperial standard of 
our loyal and reverent devotion. 

" It is not inconsistent with this spirit to value and cherish 
the local attachments which connect us with the States of our 
nativity and abode ; but only in an inferior and subordinate 
degree. Our first duty and our chief love are due to the 
nation, which alone constitutes our country. For the prin- 
cipal value of our citizenship of the State is that it confers 
upon us the dignity and privilege of our nationality. 

" In contempt of this view of our constitutional organi- 
zation as a nation, the opposing theory was taught of the 
supremacy of the States, the subordination of the Union. 
According to this doctrine, the only sources and supports of 
political authority, known in our system, were the States, 
while the Federal Government, under its constitution, was 
merely a mode of their agency. Of course, upon such a con- 
struction of our political relations, the only patriotism of 
M^hich, as citizens, we were capable, consisted in allegiance to 
the State of our domicil ; for loyalty is the expression of 
fealty to a person, either natural or political ; it cannot be 
exacted or yielded to an inanimate parchment or compact. 
So that the obligations of the Federal constitution ceased to 
bind individuals who were released from the duty of obe- 
dience by the sovereign authority of their States ; and the 
States themselves tould not be made responsible, for they had 
no political superiors. Hence it was thought, at the time, by 
some public men, that there was no constitutional warrant to 
attempt the coercion of the States, and writers, in that interest, 
denominate the rebellion against the national government as 
a war between States. 

" And founding upon this false interpretation of the con- 
stitutional facts of our history, the national life was assailed 
in organized and bloody war. 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 309 

"It is not to be supposed, however, that the inspiring pur- 
pose and main motive of the rebellion was to establish the 
abstract theory of the supremacy of the States. That theory 
was used as the legal excuse and justification of the asserted 
right to renounce the authority of the Federal constitution ; 
but the right was. not exercised merely to assert its existence. 
There were ulterior objects and purposes which enlisted the 
sym])athies and united the efforts, not merely of States, but of 
a section, and that without regard to State lines, and even in 
disobedience of State authority. Such was notably the case 
of some distinguished public men, and thousands of others, 
in States which never by any act of secession sanctioned or 
justified their course, who broke their allegiance to both State 
and nation to swell the ranks of the rebellion, to adhere to 
the Confederate government, or to give it aid and comfort. 

"Accordingly, we find powerful interests, partly pecuniary, 
partly political, pervading a section of the country, which 
organized and arrayed its public sentiment to eradicate every 
seed of dissent within it, and to defend itself against every 
hostility from without. These interests, it is needless to say, 
all grew out of the institution of negro slavery. They in- 
trenched themselves early behind the ramparts of State sov- 
ereignty and supremacy. Upon this basis was founded the 
political power of the slaveholding interest, known in our 
history as the slave-power. 

" One of its most signal struggles with the national spirit 
was upon the question of tariff duties, levied with a discrim- 
ination in favor of American manufactures. It was supposed 
that, as to all its principal products, except sugar, slave-labor 
would be rendered more profitable to its owners, by free access 
to the markets of the world, in direct exchange for foreign 
manufactures, and that a discriminating duty against foreign 
fabrics was a tax levied on their produce for the benefit of 



310 APPENDIX. 

the home manufacture. But instead of resting satisfied with 
an appeal to the general intelligence and the common sense 
of justice of the whole country, the cotton-producing interest 
threatened forcible resistance to the execution of the revenue 
laws, through State authority, and, under the banner of nulli- 
fication, denied and defied the national autliority. 

" This, hoM'ever, was a mere episode. It was an incidental 
illustration of a more general fact, which soon began to be- 
come manifest, and which eventuated in civil w^ar. It was 
that the continued existence of slavery teas incompatible with the 
2)ermanence of national institutions. The exigencies of the 
slaveholdino; interest demanded sacrifices whicli could only be 
made at the expense and by the ultimate extinction of all the 
ideas which lay at the foundation of our existence as a nation. 
Slavery was rapidly making of us two peoples in place of 
one, anil separating us so widely in thought, feeling, culture, 
and every constituent of character and motive of conduct, as 
to make any mere political bond of union a name without 
reality. It w'as more disintegrating than if it had succeeded 
in teaching the two sections different languages ; because, with 
apparent continued use of but one, it had introduced such a 
confusion of thought as to make their communication incom- 
prehensible. Their ideas were not capable of mutual trans- 
lation. What to one was good was to tlie other evil ; and 
contradiction and mutual exclusion was substituted for the 
fellowship of sympathy and a community of aims and pur- 
poses. The immortal Declaration of our National Independ- 
ence, which had been supposed to be founded upon eternal, 
unchangeable, and indestructible truths of reason, and to 
formulate the justification of human right for all mankind, 
had become the subject of derision as a series of sophisms 
and erlitterino; generalities ; while the national constitution, 
with the glosses whicli had been imposed upon its practical 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 2,11 

construction, was denounced, on the other hand, as a ' cove- 
enant with death and a league with hell.' The right freely 
to speak and write, and peaceably to assemble for the consider- 
ation and discussion of public questions, was denied, wherever 
its exercise threatenened the safety of slaveholding or dis- 
turbed the consciences of those who practised it ; while, on 
tlieir part, their teachers and leaders sedulously inculcated the 
belief that it was the mission of their situation, laid upon 
them by a necessity both human and divine, to extend, 
strengthen, and perpetuate the system. 

'' The sole condition on which it tolerated political associa- 
tion was the recognition of its right of a domination. Its 
alternative was rule or ruin. So that when it was driven 
from the seat of national poAver by a political revolution, 
wrougiit by public sentiment and in strict accordance with 
law, without waiting for any overt act of hostility, with des- 
perate foresight of its inevitable doom, it plunged into the 
dread abyss, — 

' Hurled headlong flaming from the ethereal sky, 
With hideous ruin and combustion, down 
To bottomless perdition.' 

" Under the mocking banner of State rights it opened its 
cannon upon the national power, and when Sumter fell it 
buried forever under its ruins the lost cause of a Confederacy 
of which slavery was proclaimed to be the corner-stone. 

" It was a victory, not only for the nation but for mankind, 
and marks a step in the progress of the race that cannot and 
will not be reversed. The evils of the war — and they are 
many that follow always in its train — will be forgotten and 
effaced ; but the good will remain forever. Nationality re- 
stored upon the basis of universal freedom, ai:j^l the political 
and civil equality of all the citizens of *the commonwealth, is 
a result that vindicates itself, needing neither apology nor 



312 APPENDIX. 

defence. Those wlio were overcome in the conflict, as well as 
those who overcame them, can unite, without bitterness or 
liypocrisy, in a triumph that divides the trophies of its good 
equally with both. And when those who were our brethren 
and became our enemies, but not more ours than their own, 
are able and willing, as they ought, to join with us in grateful 
and joyous thanksgiving to the gracious God who turned the 
scales of battle not against them, but ao^ainst their cause, we 
too, can, without humiliation or self-contempt, join with them 
in solemn celebrations and funeral rites over the graves of 
Confederate as well as Federal dead, as sacrifices and expia- 
tions not made in vain. 

"The sum of the whole matter is, that the life of the nation 
is essential to the life of the people ; that its authority and 
])Ower are supreme, and not subordinate; that its integrity is 
vital to the growth and perfection of that rational and orderly, 
but impartial and benevolent liberty, which constitutes the 
sacred deposit intrusted to its keeping, and contained within 
the forms of its constitution ; that neither sectional strife nor 
party contention must ever invade its sphere or draw in ques- 
tion its essential jurisdiction ; that it shall be cherished as an 
ally and friend of all legitimate powers of the States, and not 
as an alien and enemy of the liberties of its people ; that the 
sentiment of nationality shall be cherished as the spirit of 
patriotism, and our love of country made, in good faith, to 
embrace not the locality bounded by our personal or party 
horizon, but the whole galaxy and constellation of fixed and 
immutable stars that fill the heaven of our hopes ; and that 
no spirit of faction shall be allowed to confuse the boundaries 
that divide and separate the allotments of authority and juris- 
diction which J:iave been wisely made to embody and enforce 
the constitutional will of the people. 

" In this unnatural contest George H. Thomas adhered to 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 313 

the government to which he liad sworu allegiance, and not to 
its enemies in arms. He was born, it is true, in Virginia, but 
his home and country was the United States of America. 
He had been educated at the expense of its government at a 
national military academy upon the condition, if not express, 
at least honorably implied, that he should devote his military 
knowledge and skill in support of its authority and in obedi- 
ence to its laws. He had chosen the military profession as 
the pursuit of his life, and had served for twenty-one years in 
its armies, receiving his reward in the honors and emoluments 
of its service. He had performed the duties of his successive 
ranks, at posts and stations to which he had from time to time 
been assigned, without regard to the boundaries of States. He 
had stood guard at the outposts and picketed the frontiers of 
the vast area of national domain, scarcely less than the conti- 
nent, and thought he was defending the homes of his country- 
men. He had followed the flag of the nation into a foreign 
territory and participated in a war that extended our national 
border to the Pacific Ocean. He knew that it was the duty 
of the army to uphold the civil power of the government, tl«ie 
President of which was, by the constitution, its commander- 
in-chief, and that that instrument made no distinction between 
foreign and domestic enemies. He knew that AVashington 
had employed the national military force for the suppression 
of insurrection and the enforcement of the laws of Congress, 
and that Marshall lent no countenance to a doctrine that 
Avould seduce him from his military allegiance. His reason 
told him where his duty lay ; his conscience bade him follow 
it. In the uniform of an officer of the army of the United 
States he followed its flag across the Potomac, at the head of 
its troops and in obedience to its lawful commands, upon the 
soil of his native State, sacred to him only as it was con- 
secrated to the constitution and the Union. And if his 

27 



314 APPENDIX. 

conduct and career was in contrast with that of others of her 
sons whom on that account she has preferred to honor, never- 
theless a generation in Virginia will yet arise who will learn 
and confess the truth that George H. Thomas, when he lifted 
his sword to bar the pathway of her secession, loved her as 
well as these and served her better. 

"This monument, consecrated to-day to him M'hose fame 
we celebrate, is also sacred to the memory of that invisible 
host without whom he was nothing, — the unrecorded dead, 
the untitled soldiers of the Union, the vanished and nameless 
Army of the Republic, who were not merely willing to die, 
but to be forgotten, so that the memory of the good their 
death should bring might live after them. As long as the 
love of country shall survive among the generations of this 
people, or liberty makes its home under the protection of our 
National institutions, the example of their patriotic devotion 
will not die for lack of honorable remembrance or worthy 
imitation. We stand with uncovered heads and hearts laid 
bare, to-day, in the presence of an innumerable company of 
these heroic spirits, — witnesses, sympathizing with us in these 
solemn and patriotic ceremonials, honoring the memory of 
our great soldier and patriot. The listening ear of fancy 
catches their choral song as it floats and dies away upon the 
air, — 

' Yea, ]et all good things: await 
Him who cares not to be great 
But as be saves or serves the State !' 

(To the President of the United States :) 

" And now, Mr. President, it only remains for me, in the 
name and on behalf of the Society of the Army of the Cum- 
berland, to present and deliver, through you, to the people of 
the United States, whose chosen representative you are, this 



ADDRESS OF COL. STANLEY MATTHEWS. 31 5 

statue of George H. Thomas. Protected and preserved by 
their care, in this seat and capital of their national power, 
may it long stand as a token of the honor which a grate- 
ful people bestow upon conspicuous and unselfish devotion 
to public duty ! And when marble shall have crumbled 
to decay, and brass become corroded by the rust of time, may 
the liberties of the people which he defended still survive, 
illustrated and supported by successive generations, inspired 
to deeds of virtue and heroic duty by the memory of his 
example !" 



IISTDEX. 



Abercrombie, Col. J. J., 43, 44. 
Advance on Lookout Mountain, 118. 
Allen, Lieut. J. ^V., 62. 
Anderson, Gen. Robert, 46, 50-52, 157. 
Atkins, Col., 92d Ills. Vols., 93. 



B. 



Bailey, Surgeon E. J., 254. 

Baird, Gen. Absalom, 86, 87, 91-94, 97- 

101, 106, 108-110, 114, 118, 119, 128, 

147, 167, etc. 
Banks, Gen. N. P., 45. 
Barker, Lieut. J. D., 82. 
Barker, Capt. J. D., 104, 110. 
Barnes, Col., 101. 
Barrel, Surgeon H. C, 110. 
"Battle above the Clouds," 118. 
Battle of Franklin, 179. 
Battle of Mill Spring, 57. 
Battle of Mission Ridge, 120. 
Battle of Nashville, 194. 
Battle of Stone River, 73. 
Baylor, Capt. T. G., 135. 
Beatty, Col., 79-81, 92. 
Beatty, Gen., 101, 103, 109. 
Beauregard, Gen. P. G. T., 42, 43, 67. 
Becbe, Surgeon G. D., 82. 
Birney, Gen. "William, 275. 
Bishop, Mr. George C, 260. 
Bowers, Maj. T. S., 193. 
Boyle, Gen. J. T., 47. 
Brackett, Col. A. G., 30. 
Bradley, Col. E. D., 53. 



Bramlette, Gen. T. E., 49. 

Brannan, Gen. J. M., 86, 87, 91-96, 98- 

101, 103, 104, 109, 120, 135, etc. 
Breckinridge, Gen. J. C, 49. 
Breckinridge, Lieut. J. C, 62. 
Bristow, Gen. B. H., 271. 
Brownlow, Lieut.-Col., 121. 
Buckner, Col., 79th Ills. Vols., 83. 
Buckner, Gen. S. B., 65. 
Buell, Gen. D. C, 53, 55, 64-66, 69, 71, 

72. 
Buell, Col. George P., 109. 
Buford, Gen. A., 176. 
Bunker Hill, Va., movement on, 45. 
Burnside, Gen. A. E., 129, 130. 
Burt, Lieut. A. S., 61, 63. 
Butler, Senator M. C, 270. 
Butterfield, Gen. D., 140, 142, 147, 274. 
Buzzard Roost, Ga., examined, 212. 
Byrd, Col. R. R., 54. 



Camp Dick Robinson, 47. 
Captures at Nashville, 227. 
Carlin, Gen. W. P., 84, 117, 126, 277. 
Carrington, Col. H. B., 53. 
Carter, Col. J. P. S., 54. 
Carter, Lieut.-Col. M. B., 62. 
Carter, Gen. S. P., 54. 
Cavalry at Franklin, Tenn., 204. 
Cavalry regiments consolidated, 46. 
Chattanooga, appearance of, 115. 
Chickamauga campaign, 85. 
Chickamauga, report of battle, 91. 
Childs, Maj., 20. 

317 



318 



INDEX. 



Cist, Capt. H. M., 226. 

Cist, Lieut. H. M., 136. 

Closing around Atlanta, 154. 

Cobb, Gov. R. AV., 278. 

Coburn, Gen. John, 53. 

Committee on equestrian statue, 265. 

Conclusion, 292. 

Confidence of Secretary of War in Gen. 

Thomas, 203. 
Connell, Col. J. M., 53. 
Cooper, Surgeon George E., 226. 
Corinth, advance on, 67. 
Corinth, siege and capture of, 67. 
Corse, Gen. J. M., 177. 
Cosby, Gen. George B., 30. 
Crab Orchard, battle of, 56. 
Crittenden, Gen. George B., 55, 56. 
Crittenden, Gen. T. L., 66, 72-74, 76, 

86-88, 98, 105, 107, 108. 
Crook, Gen. George, 122. 
Croswell. Gov. C. M., 280. 
Croxton, Gen. J. T., 98, 100, 108, 176, 

177, 199. 
Cruft, Gen. Charles, 106, 126, 264. 
Cullum, Gen. G. AV., 275. 
Cumberland Ford, 49. 
Cutler, Capt., 122. 

D. 

Dalton, battle of, 137. 

Davis, Gen. J. C, 76, 86-88, 127, 130, 

137, 140, 145, 149, 150, 158, 165, 166, 

168-171, etc. 
Davis, Jefferson, 208. 
Destruction of Macon and Western 

Railroad, 167. 
Ducat, Lieut.-Col. A. C, 135. 
Dyer, Gen. A. B., court of inquiry on, 

238. 

E. 

Easton, Lieut.-Col. L. C, 135. 
Elliot, Gen. W. L., 120, 121, 135. 
Emerson, Assistant Surgeon, 18, 19. 



Enemy fortifies in front of Nashville, 

180. 
Enemy reaches Nashville, 180. 
Ewell, Gen. R. H., 14. 



Ferguson, Champ, 121. 

Final illness of Gen. Thomas, 254. 

Fish, Hon. Hamilton, 277. 

Fitch, Lieut. -Commander, U.S.N., 186, 

199. 
Floyd, Gen. J. B., 65. 
Flynt, Lieut.-Col. G. E., 110. 
Flynt, Maj. G. E., 81. 
Forrest, Gen. N. B., 176, 183, 200. 
Fort Sumter, fire on, 38. 
Fort Yuma, Cal., 28, 239. 
Franklin, battle off 179. 
Fry, Gen. S. S., 53, 58, 61, 79. 
Funeral services of Gen. Thomas, 261. 

G. 

Garfield, Gen. J. A., 104, 106. 
Garrard, Gen. K., 146, 158, 163, 165, 

167, 199, 212. 
Gaw, Capt. W. B., 102, 104, 110. 
Geary, Gen. J. AY., 123, 126, 143, 146. 
General orders announcing death of Gen. 

G. H. Thomas, 257. 
Georgia campaign, report of, 158. 
Getty, Gen. G. AV., 14. 
Gibbon, Gen. John, 276. 
Gibson, Gen. AV. H., 283. 
Gillem, Gen. A. C, 62, 222. 
Gold medal to Gen. Thomas, 229. 
Grand rounds through Georgia, 173. 
Granger, Gen. Gordon, 104, 107, 109, 

118, 125, 127, 128. 
Granger, Gen. R. S., 164, 221. 
Grant, Gen. U. S., 24, 64, 66, 113, 115, 

117, 118, 131, 133, 174,181-185, 187- 

193, 197, 198, 200, 203, 205, 267, etc. 
Greenwood, Capt., 38th Ohio Vols., 62, 



INDEX. 



319 



Gross, Gen., 106, 125. 
Gross, Surgeon F. H., 110. 
Guenther, Lieut. F. L., 79-81. 
Guerillas at McMinnville, Tenn., 120. 



H. 



Haggen, Dr., 254. 

Hall, Hon. Hiliard, 280. 

Halleck, Gen. H. AV., 67, 186-190, 192, 

193, 201, 203, 222. 
Hancock, Gen. W. S., 24, 45. 
Hardee, Gen. W. J., 151, 152. 
Hardee, Maj, W. J., 29, 30, 36, 85. 
Harker, Gen. C. G., 103, 109, 172. 
Harlan, Col. J. M., 53, 58. 
Harper's Ferry, 43. 

Harrison, Col., 39th Ind. Vols., 88, 219. 
Hatch, Gen. Edward, 177, 179, 199, 211, 

216, 217. 
Hazen, Gen. W. B., 87, 112. 
Headquarters transferred to Louisville, 

234. 
Hedges, Lieut., U.S.A., 216. 
Hewitt, Capt. J. M., 54. 
Hood, Gen. J. B., 30, 85, 103, 151, 152, 
154, 155, 175-180, 185, 200-202, 205, 
etc. 
Hooker, Gen. Joseph, 111-113, 117, 123, 
126, 127, 129, 130, 138-140, 143-150, 
152. 
Hoskins, Col. W. A., 53, 59. 
Hough, Col. A. L., 284. 
Houston, Gov. Sam, 36. 
Howard, Gen. 0. 0., 117, 124, 125, 130, 

137, 139-149, 155, 156, 168, 174. 
Hunt, Capt. G. E., 62. 
Hunton, Lieut.-CoL A. K., 62. 



I. 



Inci lents of the battle of Mission Ridge, 

131. 
Indian campaign of Gen. Thomas, 33. 



Johnson, President Andrew, 235. 

Jackson, Gen. J. S., 72. 

Jackson, Gen. " Stonewall," 44. 

Johnson, Gen. B. R., 14. 

Johnson, Capt., 2d Ind. Cav., 104, 110. 

Johnston, Gen. A. S., 29, 30, 32, 36, 64. 

Johnston, Gen. Joseph E., 43, 151, 154. 

Jones, Maj. F. J., 247. 

Jones, Lieut. S. B., 62. 

Jones, Col. Toland, 282. 

K. 

Kellogg, Capt. S. C, 102, 103, 105, 110, 

135, 227. 
Kelly, Lieut. M. J., 136, 227. 
Kentucky saved to the Union, 245. 
Killed and wounded at Mill Spring, 63. 
Kilpatrick, Gen. J., 140, 141, 158, 163- 

165, 168. » 

Kimball, Gen. Nathan, 148, 209. 
King, Gen. J. H., 99. 
Kinney, Capt. D., 54, 59, 60. 
Knipe, Gen., 211, 216. 
Knoxville campaign, 51. 



Laibold, Col., 2d Missouri Vols., 162. 
Last illness and death of Gen. Thomas, 

255. 
Lawrence, Maj. AV. E., 54, 105, 110. 
Lee, Gen. Fitzhugh, 30. 
Lee, Rear-AdQiiral S. P., 221. 
Letcher, Private Samuel, 62. 
Lewis, Lieut.-Col. W. H., 16. 
Liberty Gap, battle of, 84. 
Lincoln, President A., 38, 50, 198. 
Logan, Gen. J. A., 155, 192. 
Long, Gen. Eli, 124, 127, 129. 
Longstreet, Gen. James, 85. 
Loomis, Col., 80, 81. 
' Louisville, occupation of, 69. 



.320 



INDEX. 



Loyalty of Gen, Thomas, 245. 
Lugenbeel, Col. P., 14. 

M. 

Mack, Capt. 0. A., 81, 82, 135. 
Mackey, Gen. A. J., 82, 110, 151. 
Manson, Gen. M. D., 53, 58, 60. 
" March to the Sea," 173, 175. 
Marshall, Gen. H., 49. 
Matthews, Col. Stanley, 293. 
Maxey, Senator S. B., 269. 
McClellan, Gov. George B., 279. 
McCook, Gen. A. G., 151, 290. 
McCook, Gen. A. McD., 72-74, 76-79, 

84, 86-88, 99, 104-108, 
McCook, Col. Daniel, 97, 109, 172. 
McCook, Gen. E. M., 139-141, 146, 147, 

149, 160-162, 183. 
McCook, Gen. R. L., 53, 59, 61, 66. 
McCormick, Surgeon Charles, 254. 
McCrary, Hon. G. AV., 289. 
McDowell, Gen. I., 42, 43. 
McMichael, Maj. AVm., 135. 
McPherson, Gen. J. B., 137, 138, 140- 

142, 145, 149, 150, 154. 
Merrell, Capt. W. E., 135. 
Merrill, Capt. Jesse, 136. 
Michigan engineers, 58. 
Military Division of the Pacific, 238. 
Military Division of the Tennessee, 232. 
Miller, Gen., 210. 
Miller, Justice S. F., 271. 
Mill Spring, report of battle, 57. 
Mill Spring, killed and wounded, 63. 
Minnesota, Second, regiment, 59. 
Minty, Col., 86, 87, 107, 108. 
Mission Ridge, report of battle, 120. 
Mitchell, Gen. 0. M., 51, 66, 68. 
Moody, Capt. G. C, 110. 
Mordecai, Capt. A., 227. 
Morgan, Gen. J. D., 176, 177. 
Morgan, Gen. M. R., 26, 284. 
Morse, Lieut. A., 62. 
Murray, Col., 121. 
Murray, Surgeon Robert, U.S.A., 254. 



N. 



Nashville, arrival of troops at, 65. 

Nashville, battle of, 194. 

Nashville, order of battle, 209. 

National cemeteries, 231. 

Negley, Gen. J. S., 68, 76, 78, 79, 81, 87, 

91-94, 100-102, 109. 
Nelson, Gen. AVilliam, 47, 48, 66. 
New Hope Church, battle of, 138. 
Newton, Gen. John, 140, 148. 

0. 

Oakes, Gen. James, SO. 
Oath of allegiance, 38. 
" On to Richmond," 43. 
Osterhaus, Gen. P. J., 124. 
Otis, Judge E. A., 285. 



Pall-bearers, 263. 

Palmer, Gen. Innis N., 30. 

Palmer, Gen. J. M., 77, 78, 86, 98, 100, 

102, 108, 112, 125, 127, 130, 1.34, 137, 

139, 140, 142, 143, 145, 146-149, 151, 

152, 158-160, 272. 
Palmer, Col. W. J., 15th Pa. Vols., 224- 

226. 
Parkhurst, Col. J. G., 79, 109, 227. 
Patterson, Lieut. J. E., 62. 
Patterson, Gen. Robert, 38-40, 42-44. 
Paul, Lieut.-Col. J. R., 110. 
Perin, Surgeon G., U.S.A., 135. 
Perry vi lie, battle of, 72. 
Philadelphia City Troop, 41. 
Pillow, Gen. G. J., 64. 
Pittsburg Landing, 66. 
Polk, Gen. Leonidas, 85, 88. 
Pope, Gen. John, U.S.A., 268. 
Porter, Lieut.-Col. A. P., 135. 
Porter, Maj. Giles, 31. 
Porter, Lieut. AV. L., 136. 
Post, Col. P. Sidney, 212, 214. 



INDEX. 



321 



Pressure on Thomas, 205. 

Prewitt's Knob, 68. 

Prisoners captured at Nashville, 215, 

Problem of reconstruction, 236. 

Pulaski, Tenu., occupied, 178. 

Pursuit of Hood, 201. 

Pursuit of Johnston, 143. 

R. 

Railroad from Louisville to Knoxville, 

50. 
Railroad train arrives at Bridgeport, 85. 
Ramsey, Col. R. H., 226. 
Randall, Hon. S. J., 42. 
Remains of Gen. Thomas taken to Troy, 

260. 
Result of battle of Nashville, 227. 
Result of first day's battle at Nashville, 

212. 
Reynolds, Gen. J. J., 86, 87, 92, 95, 99- 

103, 105, 106, 109. 
Reynolds, Lieut. J. K., 136. 
Robinson, Col., 106. 
Robinson, Lieut. G. A., 164. 
" Rock of Chickamauga,"' 90. 
Roper, Capt. G. S., 62. 
Rosecrans, Gen. W. S., 72, 82-84, 87, 

88, 90, 101, 104,105, 113, 114. 
Roster of Gen. Thomas's division, 63. 
Rousseau, Gen. L. H., 47, 76, 77, 79, 80, 

108, 164, 176, 177, 178. 
Royall, Col. W. B., 30. 
Rucker, Gen. E. W., 215. 



S. 

Scales, Hon. A. M., 281. 
Scarcity of arms and ammunition, 47. 
Schoepf, Gen. A., 53, 55, 56, 60, 68. 
Schofield, Gen. J. W., 24, 138, 141, 142, 

148-150, 178-180, 182, 189, 195, 209, 

212-214, 217. 
Scott, Gen. AVinfield, 37, 42, 229. 
Scribner, Col. B. F., 79, 99, 108. 



Scully, Mr. J. W., 62. 

Seward, Hon. W. H., 239. 

Shankling, Lieut.-Col., 80. 

Shanks, W. F. G., 113, 132. 

Shepard, Col. 0. L., 79. 

Sheridan, Gen. P. H., 24, 77, 78, 85, 87, 

89, 102, 103, 118, 119, 125, 128, 266. 
Sherman, Gen. AV. T., 14, 17, 24, 46, 50, 

52, 117, 118, 122-125, 127, 128, 130, 

137, 138, 156, 159, 173-175, 178, 183, 

201, 202, 217. 
Skinner, Maj. Ralston, 135. 
Slocum, Gen. H. AV., 166, 170, 171, 199. 
Slowness of Thomas, 245. 
Smith, Gen. A. J., 182, 18*3, 195, 199, 

209, 211-214, 217. 
Smith, Gen. E. K., 30, 85. 
Smith, Capt. Frank 6., 204. 
Smith, Gov. AV. E., 281. 
Smith, Gen. AV. F., Ill, 120. 
Snake Creek Gap, movement through, 

136. 
Society of Army of the Cumberland, 

resolutions of, 264. 
Spauldiug, Col., 215. 
Spear, Gen., 80, 81. 
Staff of Gen. Thomas, 115, 135, 136. 
Standart, Capt. A\^. B., 54. 
Stanley, Gen. D. S., 81, 86, 87, 103, 158, 

159, 165, 166, 169, 170, 171, 178, 179. 
Stanley, Col. F. R., 109. 
Stanton, Hon. E. M., 181, 185, 198, 

203, 205. 
Starkweather, Gen., 76, 77, 79. 
State-rights men foiled, 48. 
Steedman, Gen. J. B., 53, 104, 107, 109, 

114, 162, 164, 176, 177, 183, 210, 211, 

213-215, 217. 
Stitch, Private, 4th Ky. Vols., 62. 
Stone, Capt. Henry, 226. 
Stoneman, Gen. George, 30, 149, 161, 

222. 
1 Stone River, battle of, 73. 
i Stone River, casualties at, 82. 
I Stone River, report of battle of, 75. 
21 



322 



INDEX. 



Stoughton, Col. W. L., 109. 
Swinton, AVilliam, pen-portrait of Gen. 
Thomas, 247. 



T. 



Taylor, Gen. Z., 23, 24, 229. 
Tennessee nominates Thomas for Presi- 
dent, 234. 
Tennessee River, crossing of, 87. 
Terrell, Gen. W. R., 72. 
Terry, Gen. A. H., 24. 
Texas, secession of, 36. 
Thanks of Congress to Gen. Thomas, 229. 
Thanks of Gen. Thomas to his army, 226. 
Thanks of Tennessee Legislature, 229. 
Third Military District, 237. 
Thomas, Gen. George H., promoted, 37, 
46, 133. 

address to his command, 207. 

declines all presents, 233. 

inspects his new command on the 
Pacific, 254. 

makes speech in Cincinnati, 240. 

report for month of May, 1864, 139. 

when and where born, 12. 

when and where married, 27. 

when appointed to a cadetship, 13. 
Thompson, Col. C. R., 214. 
Thornburgh, Maj. T. T., 16. 
Thruston, Lieut.-Col. G. P., 104. 
Townsend, Gen. E. D., 18, 189. 
Trans-Mississippi Department, 176. 
Troops at Crab Orchard, 55. 
Troops from Virginia to Kentucky, 50. 
Tullahoma captured, 85. 
Turchin, Gen., 94. 
Twiggs, Gen. D. E., 32, 33, 36 
Tyler, Hon. John, Jr., 283, 



> 



'\ 



U. 



Unveiling equestrian statue, 293. 



> 



Van Cleve, Gen. H. P., 53, 86, 96. 
Vandeveer, Gen. F., 5.3, 101, 108. 
Van Dorn, Gen. Earl, 30, 33. 
Von Schrader, Lieut.-Col. A., 81, 110. 
Van Vliet, Gen. S., 14. 

W. 

Wade, Capt. R. D. A., 18, 20, 21. 

Wagner, Col., 87, 148. 

Walker, Col. M. B., 54, 76, 79. 

Walthall, Gen., 219. 

Ward, Gen., 47, 158. 

Washburne, Gen. C. C, 176. 

Whipple, Gen. W. D., 1 15, 135, 207, 226, 

233. 
Wilder, Col. J. T., 84, 86, 87, 97. 
Wiles, Lieut.-Col. W. M., 135. 
Willard, Capt. J. P., 101, 105, 110, 135, 

227. 
Williams, Gen., 142, 143, 147, 158, 159, 

165. 
Williams, Capt. T. C, U.S.A., 110. 
Willick, Gen. A., 84, 106, 109. 
Wilson, Gen. J. H., 182, 184, 195, 199, 

204, 205, 208, 209, 211, 213, 215, 217, 

272. 
Withers, Senator R. E., 270. 
Wood, Gen. T. J., 47, 66, 86, 101, 103- 

106, 109, 119, 125, 128, 140, 148, 149, 

180, 195, 199, 204, 209, 212, 216, 217, 
• 268, 

Woolford, Col. Frank, 54, 57, 58, 
Worth, Col. W. J., 20, 21. 

Y. 
Young, Capt. J. H., U.S.A., 136. 

Z. 

Zollicoffer, Gen. F. K., 49-51, 55, 61, 62. 



RD-94 i 



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